Johto Journeys: The Rocket Invasion
by Ecco4502
Summary: The story begins with the meeting of three trainers, each on their own path. But when odd things begin to happen at the Lake of Rage, they decide to investigate.
1. Lake of Rage Saga (Part 1)

In the quiet town of Ecruteak City, the snow was beginning to fall- quickening its pace as time passed, piling up onto the sheet of snow from days previous. Not many were outside; sometimes the random person would be running to their houses or the Pokémon Center… although, some were leaving the Pokémon Center to go to the city Gym. Anyone just outside of the gym would be able to hear some cheering, even the damage to the building from the battle that was ensuing. The inside of the gym was quite bleak, something to be expected from a ghost gym. The battle was between the gym leader- Morty, and a young teenage girl. The girl had dark brown hair with dark, scarlet red bangs. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, none of her dyed bangs being mixed into the ponytail. Most of her bangs covered the left side of her face, the red color making her light blue eyes pop out a bit more. The girl wore a black shirt, a red heart on the left side then a black heart inside of it forming a pattern. She also wore a black pair of jeans and black Converse sneakers. Lastly, she had a necklace on where a Dusk ball hung. The battle was getting towards the end, the two trainers having both Ghost Pokémon out. Morty and his Gengar against the opposing trainer and her Dusknoir. Both Pokémon seemed down to the wire, the battle seemed to be a stalemate as both Pokémon continued to disappear into the shadows to avoid the other Pokémon's attacks. "Use Shadow Sneak, then Shadow Punch Dusknoir!" The girl trainer shouted after the Gengar appeared off guard. Before anyone could really blink, the challenger had clearly won the battle with Gengar barely able to get back up. Not much time had passed once the gym was almost cleared out of the audience. Several trainers groaning, others being shocked and talking about the battle. After the gym leader finished talking to the trainer, he handed over the Fog Badge. It seemed the gym leader had a burning question to ask the trainer, but she left a little hurriedly. "No, I'm not gonna ask and you can forget about it." The trainer said before Morty could chase after her, and like that the trainer was back outside walking alongside her ghost Pokémon to the Pokémon Center. "I'm so proud of you Dusknoir! You did so well in that battle!" The trainer said happily, giving her Pokémon a hug before looking down at the badge in her right hand as the two walked towards the Pokémon Center.

( watch?v=niauZ0… Maplestory - El Nath )

The snow had built significantly higher by the end of the event, and the Pokemon Center was beginning to provide the main lobby as a place to stay and wait out the storm. Couch-like benches were seated around a mobile firepit that was brought out in the winter. Illuminated by the fire's light was a trainer, a boy with messy brown hair just over 18 years of age. His baggy pants, faded blue in color, led up to brown belt and a white short sleeved shirt. Leaning back, the boy stared into the fire as his blue eyes reflected the flames as they danced. He sighed and reached to his right, petting a yellow, four legged pokemon, careful to avoid it's many spines. "This puts a damper on things huh...?" He asked the sleeping pokemon.

On the other side of the center, hanging away from the fire, was a girl who looked like she was in her mid to late teens. She was watching her two Pokémon with a smile; a small, duck-like Pokémon holding a leek, and a pink blob. The two were talking to each other and laughing. Every few seconds, the blob would take a different form of some other Pokémon, and then doing a silly impression of it. The duck Pokémon would then bonk the other on the head, and it changed back to its normal form. They would then look back at their trainer who, in her tight boot-cut jeans,  
plain brown t-shirt, and loose-fitting hoodie that was unzipped, would clap softly and give a quiet comment. Her Pokémon would then do another one. The trainer was still smiling, but now looked away at nothing in particular, playing with her amber hair through her fingers. She seemed a little absent-minded. The next Pokémon that the blob turned into was the same one that the boy trainer had, though it was only a coincidence. It let out a, "Jooooolteon!" and hopped around a little. The duck Pokémon didn't seem to like this choice, and was shaking its leek at the yellow Pokémon angrily.

Once the gym challenger came in, she was surprised by how many people were in the lobby. The trainer took a thin case of badge out of her back pocket to put the Fog Badge away. "I am so glad we got our room before the storm started…" She mumbled, saying it more to herself than her ghost Pokémon. _I feel like I kinda cheated though… _"You should have expected it, most humans get cold pretty easily…" Her Pokémon said back, crossing his arms a little as he glanced around the room. Looking more like a protective bodyguard than a friendly Pokémon. "You miss him don't you…" His gaze fixed on her before looking around again. The girl sighed before walking towards the counter; feeling like the statement was quite obvious. Once Nurse Joy got around to helping the trainer out, she handed over five of her Pokeballs except for the one on the necklace- her ghost Pokémon. Then she moved away from the counter, hoping to find a spot to sit. To her dismay basically all the seats were either taken up or there were only spaces left between strangers. I feel like I'm in a cafeteria at school again… She moved over to a wall, not to wait for a seat but just to see everyone's Pokémon interacting with each other. The trainer smiled several times, including at the blob's and duck's playfulness nearby. Feeling bad when she saw all the nurturing Pokémon running around- either to tend to the Pokémon or their trainers. Sometimes noticing how others take advantage of a situation- making one of the pink Pokémon running back and forth for their needs. After a while, she sighed again before sliding down to the floor- waiting to be called. Her ghost companion floating down to the floor, turning into her shadow and playing around- either with goofy expressions or just going to other's shadows to poke fun at them to make his trainer smile.  
The boy averted his eyes from the flames and to the girl, but with little effort, the laziness of being trapped getting to him. He noticed the shimmer of the badge as she put it away, and smiled. Jolteon however, now wide awake due to the shrill call, was a bit curious about the imitation of itself being performed, but proceeded to lick one of his paws, keeping one eye open to the pair. "Interesting, maybe she has some advice." The boy muttered to himself, watching her Dusknoir's act.

The young female trainer looked at the other when she walked in, but then just went back to looking at nothing. She really didn't appear interested with the stranger or her strange Pokémon. After the pink blob returned to normal, though, it became fairly interested. It pointed at it so the duck would take notice, and it appeared surprised too. The pink Pokémon took a moment to study the ghost, then transformed into an exact copy. The only thing different was a very silly expression on its belly, looking just like the face on its normal self. The expression seemed to be like that on purpose too. It floated around and started to say, "Dusk dusk duuuuuusk." The duck Pokémon seemed excited and twirled around its leek cheerfully.  
The young female trainer to the side giggled a little when she saw the morphing Pokémon mimicking her ghost Pokémon. On the other hand her ghost Pokémon took notice while in mid-prank of one of the cranky trainers. He made an exaggerated movement to show his slight annoyance, but mostly just so his trainer could see. After a few moments he went over to the other two Pokémon's shadows, playing around with them this time. Sometimes bringing his hand out of their shadows to poke them or in any other way to poke some fun back at them- even tugging on the leak stick sometimes for the duck Pokémon. "Don't push them; I don't really want any fights today." The trainer mumbled with an eye roll, hoping either her ghost Pokémon would stop or the other trainer would be okay with the teasing.  
"I think we'll be okay, ya know?" The boy asked his pokemon, who had, by this time, gotten up and was sniffing at the shadows in which the ghost had been hiding.  
He let out slight growls of curiosity now and then but was overall at ease. The boy smiled and stood, approaching the group of pokemon. "Quite the little group of pranksters huh?" He said, the small smile never leaving his face.

The two Pokémon seemed to ignore the male train because when they started to get poked, the two Pokémon actually started to laugh and focus on the ghost Pokémon. The duck Pokémon only seemed to dislike it when it tugged on the leek, but he just simply tossed it into the air and balanced on his beak. It looked like he was very skillful in that too. The transformed Pokémon was still giggling and spinning around. Then it did the same the ghost Pokémon was doing. It reached into the shadows to poke both the ghost Pokémon and its trainer, and laughing after each time.  
The bird seemed to be cheering on his friend, while still balancing the leek. Their trainer looked at them when they started to laugh, and looked over at the other female trainer right after. She seemed to smile a little bit, though it wasn't clear why she did. Then she looked up at the boy trainer and replied, "My Pokémon love to tease and joking around. Just give 'em a chance or reason to join in and there they go. They got us in quite a ton of trouble too. Luckily it was never bad enough to actually cause harm or anything…"

itThe ghost Pokémon seemed to notice the male trainer at first, but went back into playing around with the other two Pokémon when the Ditto started to poke him back. The ghost Pokémon's trainer hesitated a few moments when the other two trainers talked. _I'm not sure if I really want to get too involved… I don't want to be hurt anymore… And talking to guys is getting that much harder now these days… _The trainer sighed, her eyes going from the trainers to her Pokémon then got up to make conversation. "Same for Dusknoir, I think you lucked out a little more. A lot of trainers complain about my Pokémon sometimes. I guess it's because he likes to play around with those that… are short tempered." Jen said when she walked over, trying her best to not seem at all nervous or shy. Although, she felt a little awkward for not knowing anyone's name. "Uhm, my name's Jen…" She added, trailing off. Not even sure why she decided to jump into this conversation. Although the trainer was conflicted, her ghost Pokémon couldn't help but smile more and enjoy this moment as he hadn't seen his trainer talk to others in such a long time.  
"Jen...I like it." The boy scratched the back of his head and laughed, "Yeah, Amp here can take jokes, but he is overall pretty serious." He said as his Jolteon yawned.  
"Anyway, I'm Zack and as I said this is Amp, my Jolteon." Zack said, kneeling down and scratching behind his pokemon's ear, getting a low purr of content as a response. He turned to glance at the playing pokemon as he made himself comfortable on the ground.

The transformed Pokémon went back to its pink and blob-like state, still laughing. Seeing that the threat to its leek was gone, the duck held it with his wing again, looking a little annoyed at the Jolteon again. "Wow, it sure is nice to meet the two of you. I usually don't get people comin' up to me randomly. Zack, Jen, you can call me Misa, short for Misaki. Don't waste your breath on the full name, okay?" She laughed cheerfully, her Pokémon looking at her expectantly. "Oh yeah, these two are called Dux, the Farfetch'd, and Ditty, the Ditto. I have a third Pokemon, but she's a secret." Dux shushed Ditty, who just stuck its tongue at the Farfetch'd.  
Even though Jen didn't seem like it, she was pretty relieved when the conversation continued. Kinda wishing she was still in her room though. "Hm, I see what you mean with keeping your Pokémon a secret. Better for Pokémon battles… Are either of you trainers for the Silver Conference here?" Jen asked, ready to battle anyone really. Even if there was a storm outside and she only had her Dusknoir on her at the moment. "If you guys aren't here for the gym, why did you guys make Ecruteak your stop?" _ Yay, stalling to keep a conversation going is imminent… Sigh… _Dusknoir was slowly coming back out of the shadows until his arms were both on the ground to just rest his head on. Being more interested in the conversation now to see his trainer sink or swim.  
"Misa, got it." He said looking at both girls, "Well it was bad timing actually..." Zack sighed, "I was actually going to challenge the Gym, but by the time I got here the storm had rolled in." He said, stopping the scratching of Amp's ears, to which he responded with a small growl of sadness as he went up to  
Dux and sniffed the area around him. "Which brings me to say how my eye picked up that badge of yours" He said with a smile. "Ghost against ghost is a good strategy, and I take it he did very well!" He said looking at the appearing pokemon.

Dux was very unhappy with how close the electric Pokémon was getting. He waved his wing, trying to shoo it away. Ditty was laughing at his friend's discomfort. "Silver what? Ha, I don't think I ever heard of that. That's mainly because I'm not really a trainer. I only battle once in awhile," Misa said, shrugging as she did. "I only came in here to stay for the night. I'm plannin' on going to the Lake of Rage to perform with my Pokémon." She looked at the two trainers, seeming to be thinking. Ditty jiggled happily, and then changed into a brown Pokémon that only had two arms and looked like it was made of rock. It went, "Geo geo," then moved closer to Amp.

When Dusknoir motioned at it, Ditty got angry. It changed from being a Geodude into a weird floating ghost that only had a face. It floated around Dusknoir and started saying, "Well, don't you think you're cool, being the only one that can talk. 'Oooh, look at me; I'm a fancy ghost Pokemon! I only talk when I want to because I'm the dark, brooding type!'" Dux was watching Ditty swirl around the big ghost Pokemon, shaking his head before peering at Amp again.  
"Lake of Rage is a good place to practice performances that involve water," Misa answered, ignoring her Ditto. "I also heard about that Gyarados rumor, but I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm pretty sure my secret Pokemon can counter them."

Dusknoir had somewhat of an annoyed expression, refraining itself from pulling Ditty down into the shadows to settle it on his own. He just huffed a sighed, going under and reappearing next to his trainer- no longer in the ground either. Jen decided to ignore Ditty's response this time as she understood what Dusknoir said to be upsetting. "Hm, what happened at Lake of Rage…?" She asked, not sure if she'd been around long enough to actually hear about. Maybe I've been gone longer than I thought… Where is that Nurse Joy anyway…?  
Amp sneered at the pink pokemon before turning and walking back to his trainer and sitting down. Zack gave him a small treat from his pocket, his eyes never leaving the two. "Not much to do when you're cooped up like this, but anyway... I've been here so long that I've managed to catch up on the news from the T.V." He shrugged. "According to local fishermen, apparently everything caught there has been extremely irritable and violent, even Magikarps...However violent they can get..." He said, looking up with a chuckle.  
Ditty kind of grunted, changing back to normal and landing on the ground with a plop. It moved back closer it its trainer, sulking for a moment before regaining his silly composure. Dux walked over to his friend and sat down, looking a little worn out. He rested his leek in between the two and sighed. "Yeah, I was hearing the same thing. Though, I don't really underestimate a Magikarp's rage. It's not always their fault that they can't do nothing… And people constantly rip on 'em. No wonder they turn into crazy dragons," Misa said, a little loudly. She seemed to take the side of the Magikarps rather seriously.  
Pik the Kirby (8:57:07 PM): "Ah, hm… The other thing, or rumor, I've heard is the fact some sortta radio transmission was blocking out any waves that got near there. I dunno what that really means though." Ditty heard the word radio and turned into one, playing a relaxing song from its speakers.

Jen laughed a little, kind of faking the laugh though. "Mhmm, yeah. Magikarp was actually the first Pokémon I caught on my journey." Jen said, shrugging a little with a slight exaggerated, so-what tone. Then sighed a little thinking of how it's not the best Pokémon to really even discuss. "My Magikarp's a Gyarados now; he's the only Pokémon I use to surf across waters." Jen shrugged again, sighing a little. Just for calling them useless gives them reason to be so enraged when they evolve. "Anyway, the radio transmission seems pretty weird too. At the same time as the Gyarados being more outraged than usual? Think the two are involved somehow? If anything?" Jen crossed her arms, thinking about it- several bad memories coming back to her from the last time something fishy happened. _Could this actually be as big as something like that…? I don't think anyone wants to go out of their way to make Gyarados mad though… _  
"It sounds legitimate to me." Zack stated, nodding his head and closing his eyes, but not for long. "I've got it!" He said, as his eyes snapped open once more. "We'll go to the lake with Misa, and if it's okay, we'll bring your Garydos. If anything is wrong, He'll pick it up and he can warn us." Amp kicked his back foot eagarly, ready to go at any time. "But then again, the snow is still falling pretty hard." He said with dissapointment, turning his head towards the windows.  
Dux looked like he really didn't want Zack, and his Jolteon, to come. He protested only to Ditty, who was still just playing music from itself. Misa, though, didn't seem to really care about the situation much. "Well, sure… I wouldn't mind you two taggin' along if you wanted. If something really bad is happening, I would like the extra help to be safe. 'Cause, if it's anything worse than just one of them dragons, I'll probably be in trouble. Three Pokemon can only do so much, ya know?" She glanced outside too, seeming to be thinking about the travel to the lake. After closing her eyes, she continued, "I dunno what you two want to do. Personally, I would be fine walkin' in this weather, though I'm still on my break from it. I think sleeping in and seeing how it is tomorrow would be a hit or miss type deal. It could be better, but it could be worse, am I right?"  
Jen looked outside the same time Misa did, and then shrugged at her response to the weather. "It definitely isn't the worst I've gone through. Although, Mahogany Town might be a little worse," Jen said, not seeming to care much for the weather. "I would go now, but I just got done with my gym battle and my Pokémon could use a nice break- but they're always up for a battle against other Pokémon so I wouldn't mind helping you out Misa." Jen added with a smile, the thought of battling made her excited. She moved a little, thinking about finding Nurse Joy now before another wave of trainers would come in. "I think I'll turn in for the night though, I'll be in room 29 if you're looking for me. Night and try to get to the market if you need to beforehand- Mahogany Town doesn't have a major PokeMart." With that Jen waved bye to them before walking off to go find Nurse Joy in the back, dodging the passing Chanseys and Blisseys running back and forth. Dusknoir however sunk back into the ground and just hid in his trainer's shadows, feeling kinda bad about the Ditto incident.

Zack nodded, "Alright then it's settled, I'm gonna retire too, and I'll meet you both here in the morning." He stated, looking at the girls. Meanwhile, Amp was lying on the ground, his head resting on his forepaws and his eyes half closed. His trainer pet him on the back, which the pokemon took as a signal to follow Zack, and they both retreated into their room for the night. As the door shut behind them, Amp jumped onto the bed and dug into the sheets as Zack put his things in the corner. "Interesting day eh boy?" He said with a smile as he shut off the light, sending the room into darkness.  
Misa didn't really say anything to the two trainers as they left, other than a 'good night'. For some reason, she looked a little worn out. She let out a deep sigh once she was alone with her Pokemon again. Ditty, after changing back, and Dux hopped onto the couch and looked up at her. "Seems we always have people around us, huh?" she spoke to them, stretching. "Though, this time they were just complete strangers who know nothin' about us. Half the time they are askin' me how I got you, Ditty, to remember how to transform into anything without seeing it." Ditty jiggled and sighed too. Dux poked the pink blob to cheer everyone up.  
"I guess we'll just take the other's lead and head to bed, huh? A good rest will do us good. And since we don't need anything for our trip tomorrow, we'll just hang out here and practice a little more, okay?" Her Pokemon seemed to agree, and the three went to their room. While their trainer got ready to sleep, Ditty got on the bed and turned into a nest for Dux to sit in and nap. Misa came out a moment later, and settled into bed. They all fell asleep not a moment later.

( watch?v=Cp-HWK… Harvest Moon AWL A Quiet Winter)

It took Jen a while to finally get her five Pokémon back before going off to her room. When she did, Jen also let out a small-puppy Pokémon out of his Luxury Ball. Normally for its kind, the Pokémon would have a fiery orange color fur- instead this Pokémon had a golden, shiny colored coat. Some of the fur seeming to sparkle under the light in the room as he yawned before barking a hello. The trainer smiled, playing around with the Pokémon's fur before getting ready for bed. It didn't take long for the pup to fall asleep on the bed- but it took Jen a while to fall asleep. She sighed; a little worried about the journey to the lake for some reason. "I feel like something is seriously wrong… But I keep feeling like that because of him… Why is he always on my mind…? Team Galactic too…" Jen huffed annoyed, turning over in her bed as she started to sob a little. Some tears going on to her pillow as she tried falling asleep. When she started to cry, Dusknoir came back out from the floor to start wiping off some of her tears and just petted her head- wishing he knew what to do. It took Jen a few minutes after that to finally wake up, the sun barely up- but she got up anyway with her fire Pokémon sprawled out on the bed. Once she was up, she took out a book in her bag- writing in it about what had happened the day before. Smiling about her new badge before putting the book away and getting dressed. By the time she was finished, the golden pup was starting to become energetic- to the point that he might start barking and waking other people up. "Okay, okay. Shhh," Jen said, getting her coat and sneakers on then leaving her room- tip toeing through the lobby full of trainers and hoping not to wake anyone. Once the two got outside, Jen leisurely walked to the PokeMart. The pup jumping around in the snow, not at all minding the snow on his fur either.  
Zack had been up, not one to sleep late, and had left not long before Jen. He now sat outside the mart, Amp by his side watching flurries that fell from the dwindling storm. Zack saw the frolicking puppy and smiled. "Would ya look at that, a rare sight indeed." He said, under his breath, with a light chuckle.  
Dux was the first to stir, which woke up Ditty in the process. Even so, the three were already getting a late start. The duck rubbed his face a little with his wing, getting out of the 'nest' so Ditty could go back to normal. Then the two walked over to Misa and poked her repeatedly until she woke up. "Mm, ugh… Okay, I get it. I'm up, I'm up," she moaned, swatting at the two a little. They giggled and hopped off the bed. Ditty chased Dux as a Vulpix as they waited for Misa to finish getting ready. She didn't take long to be done, her clothes being rather plain but still form-fitting. After putting her bag over her shoulder, they group left to go find the others. Since they couldn't find them in the lobby, they looked outside. Ditty was the one to notice the Growlithe, and it ran ahead of the other two to go outside. Once it was out in the snow, Ditty changed into a normal colored Growlithe and raced over to the other to play. Dux shivered in the cold weather. _Is… That them over there? _Misa wondered to herself, though she didn't really go over to investigate.  
It took Jen a little bit to register who it was at the PokeMart, smiling a little when she saw it was Zack. Waving when she finally got to the door, she sighed realizing the shop wasn't even open yet. _Great… Just my luck... _The golden Growlithe was just jumping around, and sometimes rolling in, the snow still- up until he saw Ditty as a regular Growlithe. The puppy Pokémon was confused at first, looking down at its glittering paw and then looking up at Ditty with a confused expression. After a moment or two, he seemed to shrug and just jump at Ditty to play. He was barking now and again too, very happy to just have some fun. When Jen heard her Growlithe barking, she turned around to smile again when she saw her fire Pokémon playing. Then waving again when she saw Misa, hearing a slight sigh from behind her but ignoring it. "You guys need to stock up on stuff too…?" Jen asked, not believing that was true and not wanting a small silence. "Uhm, how did everyone's nights go by the way…?"  
Zack waved, leaning against the wall of the Mart. "Just a few things here and there." He said as he sat watching the Growlithes engage each other in play. Meanwhile, a fourth pokemon had approached Jen with springing jumps through the snow. The long body of the ferret pokemon worked it's way through her legs, his light brown fur covered with moisture. The pokemon turned, sitting up tall in front of Jen with a small smile as he let out a squeak of delight. Zack bent over laughing, "It's nice to let the lady's go first, Scout!"  
Misa had walked over once Jen had turned to smile at her. Dux followed by putting the leek in his mouth and flying. "I don't need anythin', I just happened to see something outside…" Ditty barked at her trainer, a little annoyed at something, and then just went back to playing with the other Growlithe. "Okay, fine… Ditty was the one who noticed. But it's nice to see you all here. I almost thought that our meetin' was just a dream, or something," she admitted. Misa zipped up her light hoodie when she realized it was colder than she thought. "I don't normally travel with people, or make plans on traveling with people…"  
Jen laughed a little about Misa's response to their meeting last night, nodding a little. "Yeah, I know what you meant…" Jen responded, trailing off at the end. _I kinda wish we didn't… If something wrong is going on at Lake of Rage- I don't really want to be involved… I'm tired of being the heroine… _Jen just nodded a little absently as she thought about it. Then looked down at the ferret Pokémon that just ninja'd his way to the front of the line. "Hey, that's not very fair now is it..?" Jen said, laughing a little before sighing as she wished the store was open. "I have some stuff I need to buy… I'm low on Ultra Balls, food, and some status heals…" Jen added, sighing a little again. _I just had to ignore that big Department store in Goldenrod, didn't I? _  
The ferret pokemon let out a loud, playful squeak as a response before darting off to join the Growlithes in their early morning romp. Zack shook his head with a laugh, checking his pokegear for the time, then turning to the girls once more, "I don't need too much, just few full heals and an untra ball or two as well. I stocked up on food before the storm came so I'm good in that department." He said, noticing Jen's sighs were becoming frequent. "Hey there, you alright?" He asked, his face now holding a worried expression.  
Dux, really getting tired of his cold feet, flew up and sat on Misa's head. He started rubbing his feet with his right wing. Misa didn't seem to mind, or notice, Dux, and was sort of staring at Jen. _Somethin' seems to be troubling her… But, who doesn't have something botherin' them? A bad past, fears of the future… We all have them. If she doesn't tell Zack about it, I'll just not bother askin'. _If she wants to tell us, she'll do it when she wants to. Ditty started rolling around in the snow, and then decided to change into a different Pokemon again. This time it was a fox Pokemon with multiple tails, being about the same size as Growlithe. It let out a 'Vul vulpix', and puffed smoke at the other two Pokemon.  
It took Jen a moment to realize what Zack was talking about, then just made an obvious glance to the shop to cover up what was really on her mind. "I'm just annoyed that I didn't go shopping when I was in Goldenrod City a few days ago… I probably should have but I didn't listen to reason." Jen answered, shrugging a little with a slight sigh. Not for annoyance but just to watch the white air due to the cold weather. _Good thing it's almost always cold in Blackthorn City, otherwise I'd probably need a jacket or something… _Jen looked down at her Growlithe playing around with Ditty, smiling a little. Growlithe was having fun- but became pretty confused again when Ditty turned into the fox Pokémon. The golden pup stopped in his tracks to puff smoke back, before jumping at Ditty to play again. As the two played, a few purple, eerie looking embers started to circle the two Pokémon- the embers just danced around meaning no harm to either of them. Sometimes the Growlithe even jumped at the embers- being too slow to catch them before they moved out of the way. "Did anyone turn their keys in- if they got a room," Jen asked, looking between the two again. "When the shop opens and we get our stuff, ready to head out? My Gyarados shouldn't have a problem with the water…" Jen added at the end. _Unless it's frozen… Then we'll just walk if it's thick. If not, then we'll find a different way. _  
Zack had a look of disbelief on his face after hearing Jen's half-hearted answer, however, he too decided to let it be for the time being. "Well, the forecast on T.V. Said that the sun was supposed to come out today and a good portion of the snow will melt away." Zack said, looking up at the morning sky, which was white with departing clouds from yesterday's storm. "I'm ready to go as soon as this store opens." He said, never taking his eyes off of the sky above. Meanwhile, Scout had been watching the smoke with extreme focus, waiting for the the smoke to form what could almost be called a ring shape as the gas drifted apart in the mid morning air. Seeing an opportunity, the ferret pokemon jumped through the smoke with grace and plopped back into the snow with a satisfied squeak.  
When the weird purple embers appeared, Ditty appeared to grow suspicious, and angry. It stopped running around, watched the embers a little bit, and then stuck its nose into the air with its eyes closed. It seemed like it wanted nothing to do with these embers. Misa let out a thinking hum, looking at the sky without lifting her head. "I'll be ready to go whenever you two are completely ready. I'm pretty sure Ditty will give me a ride over any water, so if your Pokemon can't… I'm sure he'll be fine with giving you two a lift." She looked at Ditty, who was still looking away. Dux was feeling better, his feet no longer frozen, and was watching the purple embers. He looked a little dazed by them.  
Jen had a small unsure expression about Misa's offer about Ditty. _I'm not sure, especially with how he's been treating poor Dusknoir. _Jen continued to just look the playing Pokémon, frowning a little when she saw the dancing embers form a frownie face. Growlithe got sad too when Ditty stopped playing, although it didn't seem for long as he continued to run around a little more. Pouncing onto the face and wagging his fluffy tail. Barking happily when he thought he got one under his paw before frowning again when it jumped away when he checked. One of the embers flew over to dance around Jen, trying to get her to go after it. After a moment she did, just to hold it in her right hand. Unlike Growlithe's ember, it remained in her hand- glowing a little brighter now that she went after it. "I think Gyarados can carry me, thanks for the offer though Misa." Jen said after a while, thinking about the Lake of rage again. "If something bad is going on at the Lake… What do you guys think we should do? If there's a huge lake of all those Gyaradoses, then we've got one fight on our hands if there turns out to be something wrong." She added, looking up from the ember.  
Zack nodded his head, "Well, if there a hundreds of angry pokemon in the lake, it will be hard to travel on it without provoking them. If we absolutely have to do so, it's best we use as much discretion as possible." He said, finally looking down from the sky and at the girls. Meanwhile, Scout followed the golden Growlithe in his attempt to catch the purple embers, chirping eagerly as he sprang. At one point, the ferret gave up on the embers and went to pounce on the Growlithe himself. Amp continued to sit by his trainer's side, listening to the plans of the trainers.  
Ditty appeared a little sad when it finally looked at the others. It seemed to sort of regret acting like it did, even though it felt like it did nothing wrong. After sighing, Ditty walked behind Misa's legs and sat there, wrapping its tails around itself. Dux was looking down at Ditty with a sad expression. Misa didn't seem like she felt bad for Ditty though. _He needs to learn to not let things bother him so much. You'd think he learn after all these years. _"I really don't think sneaking up is necessary… If people are causin' this, I sincerely doubt they are doin' it just to make Gyarados, and to make them angry… My best guess is that they're just… experimentin' or something," Misa said, shrugging. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "If ya two really think that going directly to the lake is a bad idea, why not just investigate the areas around it. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't just be at the lake. That doesn't give 'em much options of hiding or whatever. If it's even that kind of situation."

Jen shrugged, thinking that she could handle an organization on her own if the other two wanted to work together._ It's gonna be the same every time… People get close to me, they turn on me… I'm all alone and depressed again… It is the same… Ceres started a really bad routine for me… _Jen didn't reply, and when she didn't the ember faded away like the others. When they did, Growlithe started to play around with the ferret Pokémon- trying his best not to really harm him, just to play around with. After a few moments the slidey door to the shop opened and Jen went inside to quickly grab the stuff. About half an after Jen and Zack got the stuff they needed and handed in the keys, the three were off heading towards Mahogany Town. Like Zack had mentioned before, the snow slowly started to disappear as they walked to the eastern side of the town. Darn, I actually wanted the snow to stay… Jen watched her Growlithe jump around as they walked. Sometimes Growlithe would walk beside his trainer, jumping up a little so she'd pet him. Whenever Jen did, she'd smile and he'd bark happily at her before running ahead of the group. _I wonder if everyone is fine with just walking instead of riding a Pokémon…_


	2. Lake of Rage Saga (Part 2)

Misa sighed, not really looking at anything. "I was never one to plan things out, so I guess I'm just not very into the idea. I think just going in there and then figure out what to do is best…" Ditty, who was still a little sad, got tired of walking quickly. So he changed into an oddly colored bird Pokemon with a music note for its head, and flew up to stand on Misa's shoulder. Dux, not wanting to put so much weight on their trainer, flew to the ground. He seemed happier with the lack of snow, unlike Jen, and was pretending to march to his own beat. Hearing its name made Ditty turn his head to look at Zack. Before Misa could answer, Ditty spoke in a whistling tone, "I don't really like berries that much, sorry!" Then it started to whistle some song. Misa shook her head, saying, "Ditty is lying, he likes berries just like anyone else. He's just being stubborn."  
Jen just smiled a little when he offered them, although she didn't really want to take anyone up on offers much. Although Growlithe's ears started to perk up from the offer, he started to move back at Jen's pace and give her the puppy eye treatment. Jen rolled her eyes and looked over at Zack. "Usually, I don't like to give my Pokémon berries without reason… Mostly because I don't want them spoiled." Jen said, seeming like she was gonna turn the offer down before hesitantly holding her hand out for some berries. "I guess I'll let him. He's been a good boy lately. Can I have some?" She asked with a small smile, her Growlithe barking eagerly and wagging his tail excitedly. _That should be a small hint for Dusknoir though, maybe that'll help him. _"What kind of berries does Ditty like by the way?"  
Zack was happy to see Jen coming out of her shell a bit, and he gave her the handful to choose for herself. He smiled back at her, feeling an odd connection to someone he had just met the night before. Meanwhile, Scout had gotten his berry and held it in his mouth as he walked along the path to Mahogany Town. Zack closed his bag and looked at the sky's blue reflection in some of the puddles that were left by the retreating snow.  
Dux was marching to the song that Ditty was whistling now, twirling his leek around. Sometimes he would toss it into the air mid spin and catch it while keeping it going. Ditty wasn't paying attention to the other trainers now, just changing the pace of the song for Dux, even making it complicated at times.  
"Ditty… likes anything that's really sour, usually. That's usually why he says he doesn't like berries, since most of them tend to be sweet. He's probably the pickiest eater I've ever met… Every town we go to, we try as much food as possible. Dux ends up eatin' most of Ditty's food in the end." She sighed, picturing how much money she would have wasted if it wasn't for her two other Pokemon. _Panzer could care less about what she puts into her mouth… Why can't Ditty be that way? _"Sometimes I think Ditty believes he's a human, and not a Pokemon."

Jen held the berries in her left hand, tossing some out into the air for Growlithe to catch the berries. Sometimes the shiny puppy would have to jump for it or Jen would tell her fire Pokémon to do a certain trick before tossing an oran berry. At one point, Dusknoir popped out of Growlithe's shadow and stole a berry as he wanted to get him to do a trick himself before going back again. Jen rolled her eyes when it happened; feeling like Dusknoir wasn't really much of a Pokémon anymore. When she finally ran out of berries to give to her golden Growlithe, she stuck her hands up so that Growlithe saw there were no more left. This made him sad when he saw her empty hands, "Sorry Growlithe, that's all you're getting right now. I promise you'll get more later." Jen said, "Thanks for the berries Zack. Growlithe, go thank him." Her Growlithe's ears perked back up before running over to Zack and going up on his leg. Wanting to be petted and barked quietly twice as a thank you. Jen smiled then turned to look at Misa, "I can see that, reminds me of Dusknoir sometimes… No offence." Jen said to the morphing Pokémon. "He just seems to have the attitude of a trainer sometimes. Even being stubborn towards other trainers and wanting to challenge them to a battle… or just mess with them and get on their nerves sometimes." Jen shrugged, Dusknoir came up a little, still moving ahead of them. "I heard that…" He mumbled before going back under. "I find it interesting that he likes sour things though, most Pokémon don't…" _Then again, he isn't like most… He turns into all these other Pokémon. _

Zack smiled and knelt down, petting Growlithe. "No problem, I always have a bunch of berries. Nature has some of the best nutrition in my opinon. Sure they can't live on them alone, but they sure love them, as you can see." He said laughing, smiling at Jen. "So most don't like sour though, huh? He does." He said, looking down at his long time companion, Amp, who gave a small "Jolt!" as a response. Zack lifted his hand away from the Growlithe, looking at the road ahead, upon which he saw the town approaching not too far away. "Just a mile or two to go."  
"I know most humans don't like sour things either. It seems to be one of those things where, if ya like it you do, and if you don't… You just don't. Since Ditty is always changin' shape and whatnot, I think his taste buds do the same. He says sour things are really the only thing that tastes the same, no matter what he is," Misa pondered, scratching Ditty's belly a little. It cooed softly in return, and then went back to whistling. She was looking down the road, not really thinking about much. "I like sour foods too, but… Not as much as him. He's able to eat the stuff without really giving a reaction. He even dares chiefs to try and make it as sour as possible. Only once did someone make something too strong for him. It was a very happy day too."

Jen shrugged, smiling a little embarrassed. "I find most people dislike sour things. Oh well, it's probably just me then." Jen said, thinking about whether or not she'd ever given sour things to her Pokémon. Then shrugged again, laughing a little at the weird conversation topic as she watched her Growlithe run back over to her. Bending down a little pet him, play around with his ears, and mess around with his fur- trying her best not to fall behind in doing so. Unlike the other two, Jen didn't really care how close they were to Mahogany Town- she just wanted to keep going on her journey. "Now, in your Pokémon battles- what do you think was the hardest battle and why?" Jen asked, intrigued by the question.  
Zack took his time, thinking over the question in his head. He shrugged, "Well any fights that have to do with a ghost type." He said to Jen with a wink, aware that her Dusknoir would most likely be proud of itself. He put his hands up on his head, slowing his pace down a bit and enjoying the scenery around them. He looked up at the sky, thinking about something in particular, but he remained silent. Meanwhile, Scout had tired himself out and was now walking slowly, finishing his berry. Upon hearing the comment about ghost pokemon, he shuddered a bit and chirped, being a normal type and having no effect on ghosts.  
"My only challenging battles are when my opponent is actually good," Misa sighed, answering Jen's question right after Zack finished. "Since Ditty can be anything, type match-ups aren't a big deal at all. Long battles… are also our weakness. Only my secret Pokemon can handle those long types of matches. Dux and Ditty both are really strong, they just don't have enough stamina to keep takin' hits and whatnot." Ditty didn't seem to care about the fact it couldn't last long. It just looked proud that it could counter pretty much anything. Dux just didn't seem to care about the conversation at all. "You two probably had a lot more difficult experiences with Pokemon battles… Since you two have badges and all. I've never even once tried for a badge. Doesn't interest me at all." Misa was looking at the two of them, wondering why exactly they enjoyed battling  
Jen shrugged when she felt Misa's eyes on her, feeling the same about Misa and performing. "I'd say either ice or dragon types… Otherwise just battling the Elite Fours and their league Champions being the harder battles- I mean, you don't know what Pokémon they have so you need to be ready to counter anything." Jen said, thinking about what Misa said. "It's fine if it doesn't interest you, we all have different opinions about things." _Although you shouldn't say anything until you've tried both, and my Growlithe is evidence that I've been trying performances lately… _Meanwhile, Dusknoir couldn't help but do just what Zack thought about- smile. After a few moments of hiding in the shadows, he took note of the tired Furret and decided to play another joke- smirking to himself in the darkness about his plan.  
Zack was so involved in his thoughts that he had tuned most everything else out. Amp tugged his trainer's pant leg to keep him from stepping into a small pond, (If you could call it that) that separated the route they were on from Mahogany Town. He stopped and shook his head, snapping back into reality, and petting his pokemon. "Well it looks like we're almost there." He said to the girls, as Amp went from thinking about his trainer's absent mindedness, to growling slightly and shaking his head, as if to shake something off.  
Misa stopped at the water's edge, adding in before anything else, "Yeah, but there just seems to be more trainers than anythin' else these days. Less and less people are doin' something other than fighting Pokemon. I started the journey like anyone else woulda, but after like… five battles, I just didn't see the point." She rubbed her shoulder, sounding like she really found battles to be super boring. Ditty chirped happily when it saw the water, jumping off its trainer's shoulder and flying above it. Then, a second later, it changed into a large blue Pokemon with a big shell and landed in the water with a splash. Dux hopped in after, shivering a little from the water's cold touch, and swam over to Ditty's side. _At least the water isn't frozen over… _  
Jen shrugged again at Misa, finding it weird that she'd find it boring when battling is a third of performances and found the trainer part of her statement to be kinda silly. _You're a trainer for just having Pokémon, not for battling… Sigh, this might be a little worse than I thought… Whatever, I'll try and be a good little girl then. _Jen quickly returned her Growlithe before letting her Gyarados out as she walked over to the water's edge. The water-dragon had rocked his head around a little, seeming pretty agitated but nowhere close to taking his discomfort out on his trainer. Without her even needing to say so, Gyarados lowered his head so Jen could get on- just realizing the two other trainers and their Pokémon. "They're fine Gyarados, they mean no harm… And I don't think any battle either." Jen whispered as she climbed onto his head. Gyarados kept his head down incase if another trainer needed a lift. Jen held onto the middle horn and her feet on the left one so Zack would have room, unless he changed his mind and got nervous about touching one after what he said. _Good thing Gyarados' Pokeball wasn't around. _Jen was rubbing Gyarados' head as she waited, her seeming to become happier when she did.  
Zack returned his two pokemon and climbed up onto Jen's Gyarados when given the order to, careful not to make the pokemon angry, but not scared or new to the idea either, having been a trainer for a while. He smiled and gave Jen a smile when he was situated, and he watched as Misa prepared to cross as well.  
Misa hopped onto Ditty's shell and sat down with her legs sprawled out in front of her. Without waitinf for an order, Ditty was the first to start off swimming. It was swimming kind of fast, though it didn't even seem like it realized it. Dux was taken off guard and Ditty's wake pushed him further away. He had to fly out of the water to catch up with Ditty, sliding back into the water midflight. His leek was in his mouth before and after he flew. Misa was looking behind at the others, seeming to find the Gyarados to be interesting. _I never really get close to them… And Ditty never wants to be one. I really wonder if all their rage just comes from their frustrations of being a Magikarp, or if the rage was just natural for them… ever since they first came around. It's hard to picture a Pokemon just having uncontrollable rage just because it runs in their ancestry. _  
Once Jen and Zack were both good on Gyarados, he started after Ditty- wanting to go fast at first and knowing that he could but stopped before either of them fell off. Then Gyarados went back up to have his body going up like a cobra, so that neither of the two really had much of a chance to get wet (if they fell off, then that was just too bad). The large water Pokémon grunted as he steadied his pace so neither would fall off. Jen noticed this easily and started to rub his middle horn with her other hand to calm him down a bit. It didn't take either of the two Pokémon long to get to the other edge of the pond. Once they did, Gyarados lowered his head back down over the ground so the two trainers could get off. After Zack got off, Jen looked through her bag for a Sitrus Berry and fed it to the water-dragon- who growled happily at the treat before Jen returned him to the Pokeball and allowed Growlithe back out. _There's definitely something wrong here… Gyrados felt it…Now what? _  
Zack ran his fingers through his now damp hair, laughing "Always time for a bit of competition I suppose. He released Amp once more, who seemed less than happy and was scratching his ears with his right forepaw. Zack looked down and raised an eyebrow at his pokemon's curious behavior. The yellow pokemon's hair stood on end and a small humming could be heard, followed soon by small electrical discharges. Zack stood in front of the girls and attempted to communicate with his pokemon, however, it could not get through to him, and Zack's left arm was hit by a small bolt.  
He grasped where the bolt had struck, and used his other arm to return his suffering pokemon. Zack winced as he held his arm, shaking his head, "Amp has never acted like that, even when there was reason to be mad at me. Something bad is going on, and the closer we get to town, the worse the pokemon seem to act..." He said, turning to Jen.

Misa got off of Ditty with one jump, looking a little worried about the other Pokemon. She thought it was pretty strange how they were acting. _Maybe these rumors are true? _Ditty changed back into its blob form and had watched the Jolteon, confused why it was in so much distress. Dux walked over to his pink friend and appeared just as confused. They were looking at each other, wondering if they missed the memo or something.  
"Well, what ever this is, it doesn't seem to be affecting those two," Misa pointed out. She wondered about her other Pokemon, considering about releasing it to check and see. Her fingers drummed against the pure white ball that was strapped to her belt. "I think we need to hurry up and figure this out. If it's causin' your Pokemon to be in pain, we really don't want to force them to endure that much longer…"  
Jen nodded, frowning at her suffering Growlithe and returning him as well. Although Jen didn't return Dusknoir as he never came back up, then Jen looked down at her shadow to see if he was there or not. He was, Dusknoir was manipulating Jen's shadow to make her hand do an O.K. sign while giving her shadow a creepy smile before her shadow going back to normal. "Dusknoir doesn't want to go back in, so I'm ready whenever you two are…" Jen said, still looking down at her shadow. "You better tell me if something's going on down there. Okay?" Jen asked, not receiving a response and sighing- feeling like she looked insane for talking to her shadow before hearing a laugh.  
Zack nodded and released his hand from his arm, letting the air touch the wound where the bolt had burned him. With a quick wince he forced a smile and wink, giving a thumbs up. "Alright, to the Lake of Rage then." He said, looking at the buildings cluttering the small town. Walking north with the group, the lake was visible a good distance away at the end of the route they were on. "Don't worry guys, we'll get this over with as soon as possible..." Zack said, looking slightly crazy as well, talking to the belt that held his pokeballs.  
Ditty and Dux seemed to be happy about being the only Pokemon outside their Pokeballs, not really taking the situation seriously. They kind of ran around their trainer as the group made their way closer to the lake. No matter how much closer they got, the two playing Pokemon never seem to get the same reaction like the others. Ditty only sometimes felt a little tingle in its body. When they reached the town, it actually seemed fairly empty; little to no people was outside. They really didn't make much of it and just continued on through; taking a moment to look at a strange tree that looked fake and a suspicious sign that said that there was nothing suspicious to be seen here.  
As they left the town and proceded to go through the building that connected the routes, two thugs wearing black jumpsuits with a big read 'R' stopped them. They were attempting to look really tough. "Hey! No one is allowed through here!" the one spoke loudly. "Yeah, no one. Unless they pay, they can't pass!" said the other. "If you brats wanna get through, that'd be $1000. Each. No less. Or else."

Jen seemed a bit surprised when she saw the few thugs, recognizing their outfits easily- although she didn't feel all that impressed by them._I haven't heard of Team Rocket since I was here last... Sure has been a while... and I thought they disbanded..? Hm, I don't really wanna pay that much to go through... Can we battle them and go through or do we need to take the long way? _Jen started to feel rather annoyed instead of being scared by these two grunts and hoping no one else did as she felt that there was going of the Pokeballs on her belt. to be a Pokemon battle coming. "And if we say no to paying..?" Jen asked, up to the challenge and ready to grab one  
One of the Grunts got their Pokeball and sent out their Raticate while the other sent out a Golbat. The Grunt on the right said, "Then you'll-" "Have to go through us." The grunt on the left finished, having a smug look on his face.  
Jen stepped forward, feeling smug herself and allowed a Darkrai out of her Cherish Ball. _These guys are gonna be way too easy. _She paused though, not sure if anyone else wanted to have fun with these grunts.  
Zack stared at the Darkrai for a moment, never even entertaining the idea of seeing one in his life. He soon shook it off and smirked, turning to Jen with a wink, "Let's get these fools out of the way real quick!" He said, taking a white pokeball of his belt, which was marked with a picture of a small flame. He tossed it up and let it hit the ground and pop open, releasing a burst of white light. The light gradually formed the shape of a slender nine-tailed fox. The pokemon stared it's enemies down fiercely, it's white-yellow colored body augmenting it's piercing red eyes. The pokemon let out a cry as its tails wagged with agitation.  
The Grunts stood behind their pokemon, trembling, but trying not to show it. "F-For the sake of Giovanni and Team Rocket, you will not be allowed to pass!" One grunt stated, building a sense of confidence in himself through his false courage. "We will not let you interfere!" The other Grunt chimed in, following his partner's example. He pointed towards the looming ghost pokemon and shouted, "Golbat, use Air Cutter on that thing!" as his pokemon screeched and flapped it's wings to produce razor sharp winds. Meanwhile, the other Grunt had set his sights on the fox pokemon, and commanded his Raticate in the same manner, shouting, "Hyper Fang, now! Bring it down!" as his pokemon charged towards the fox, it's yellow teeth ready to bite into it.  
Misa was the only one who seemed to not be excited about how the thugs were picking a fight. She kind of hung back a little, clearly not going to get involved in this battle. _I don't know if fighting them was really necessary… Even though they don't seem to be all too strong, what would have happened if they were? I wouldn't want something horrible to happen… _Dux was yelling at the bad guys, and cheering on his allies, hitting his leek against the ground and stomping his feet. Ditty seemed only interested in the strange ghost Pokemon, as it had never seen it before. It stayed pretty silent as it studied anything Darkrai did, jiggling as it thought something to itself.

Jen didn't seem all that worried; neither did the looming dark Pokémon when the Golbat went for the attack. "Dark Void, Darkrai, then Dark Pulse." Jen ordered, knowing that this was going to be an easy match. Darkrai seemed to hesitate a moment, before his blue eye started to glow. Once Jen ordered the attack, a black eerie hole appeared in the ground- sucking the Golbat in to the point no one could see it until the dark hole started to fade away from around the sleeping bat. Then Darkrai started to put its hands together, creating a dark sphere of energy before throwing it at the sleeping Pokémon- knocking the bat into his trainer. Then Jen turned to look at how Zack was doing, Darkrai doing the same but seeming less interested and more intrigued by the morphing Pokémon that was staring at him.  
Zack drew back slightly, amazed at Darkrai's power. He shook it off and clenched his fist, "Alright, use agility to hop over the Raticate, then use Fire Fang!" He said to his pokemon, as she jumped into the air, and bounced off of the top of the Raticate's head. Next, the fox skid to a stop, turning 180 degrees before lunging at the stunned pokemon, bearing her flaming fangs. The fox dug it's teeth into the Raticate's neck, using only enough force to down her oppenent. After a moment or two, the fox pokemon kicked off of the Raticate's body with a backflip, landing gracefully and letting out a small cry. Zack grinned "Awesome job, love that extra flair too!"  
He said with a laugh, as the fox pokemon's ears went down and she smiled slightly. He turned to Jen and Darkrai, "You guys rocked too." He said, giving his usual wink at Jen. Meanwhile, the Grunts had their eyes wide open and their mouths hanging in disbelief. "Sh-Shut up!" One of the Grunts shouted, disliking Zack's cockiness. "You and your girlfriend got lucky, that's all!" The other added, knowing honestly that luck had nothing to do with it. The two returned their pokemon and growled "Go, get out of here!" One grunt said, "But don't you dare interfere with the affairs of Team Rocket anymore!" He added, moving aside.

_This is no surprise… The two are strong. One has a super rare Pokemon, since I've never even seen something like that. The other has a mystical Ninetales… I think I'm just unable to fight because of my nature… _Misa silently looked at the two trainers as they quickly headed outside before the thugs caused any more trouble. She clearly wasn't going to congratulate them or anything like that. Dux, however, was clapping and giving his approval to the two larger Pokemon. Ditty appeared done staring at the Darkrai and turned into one for itself. It floated near Dux and started to act creepy, Dux trying to swat his friend away.  
When Jen heard the comment from Zack, she couldn't help but smile- but when she heard the Grunts call them boyfriend and girlfriend. Her new happy attitude disappeared as fast as it came. Jen saw her Darkrai drift back over to her, seeming less impressed with how short the match was. "Can I go back into the Cherish Ball..? Or do you still need me to stay out?" Darkrai asked in a voice that seemed to match his type, dark and somewhat eerie. Jen sighed, her mind being messed up on what to do. "Stay in the shadows with Dusknoir, I'm going to need you later if there's more of those Grunts later." Jen stated sternly, her arms now being crossed as she watched the dark type descend to join the ghost Pokémon. Jen's mind went back to what the Grunts said, but Jen sighed- trying her best to get herself calm and to seem annoyed over the Grunts coming up to them and challenging them. "Let's get going, they might send more and I kinda don't want to waste my breath on these guys. They're way too easy." Jen said, having a fake mask of annoyed-happiness on her face when she was really conflicting herself inside. _I'm no way a girlfriend… What kind of girlfriend doesn't support their boyfriend…? _  
Zack was happy to see Jen smiling, but it was short lived. "Right." He said, as he followed Jen out to where Misa and Jen were now, thinking about the grunt's comments as well and recieving nasty scowls from them. He returned Ember, as not to subject her to the disturbance outside the building. "You guys alright?" He asked the girls, looking at Misa, then at Jen, who was looking particularly peeved at herself.  
As they left the building and walked towards the Lake of Rage, a semi large bird with a stream of red and yellow hair going down it's back could be seen on a branch in the trees overshadowing the route. The bird's eyes, hidden behind black marks, were fixed upon the trio. It let out a shrill cry as dove towards the trio as a form of intimidation, a red band tied around it's leg. The bird came within inches of the group before swooping back up, losing the band in the process. Upon further inspection, the band was shown to be the tattered remains of worn headband with a pokeball symbol imprinted on it.  
"Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinkin' about my past, that's all. I'm surprised how much them two reminded me of something," Misa answered Zack, somewhat timidly. "Also, aren't they from that group who did bad things a few years back? Could they really be back?" Darkrai Ditty and Dux were surprised when the Pidgeot swooped down, and then just flew away. They kept their eyes on the last spot that they saw the bird Pokemon, talking to themselves about what just happened. Misa was a little confused too. "What was up with that, huh? Things are getting even stranger as we go."  
Jen nodded sadly to what Misa had said, believing that they were back. "There's no doubt about it… Unless they plan on having people dress up like Team Rocket Grunts at Lake of Rage too… But I don't think that's going to happen though." Jen said, with a slightly nervous laugh before the bird Pokémon swooped in. It took Jen a few moments to pick up the band from the ground- being hit by nostalgia from looking at the band. Once she realized whose band it was, Jen started to look around in the sky again to see where the Pidgeot went. _My past is coming back to haunt me, isn't it? _"Come on, let's keep going…" Jen said, ready to keep moving despite the bird Pokémon's encounter. _I want outta here, I want his mission done and then I want to be on my own for a while… _  
After regaining his composure after the bird's attack, Zack turned to Misa and nodded, "They disbanded a while back when a trainer single-handedly ran them out of their own hideout, and beat their leader, Giovanni." He said, feeling somewhat confident after disbanding the Grunts. He looked up at the sky, and put his hands behind his head as he walked. "You know Jen, I don't think I could've done that battle back there without you."

He said, never taking his gaze off of the clouds above. "And even if I could've..." He added, stopping short and looking at Jen for a bit, before continuing, "I'm glad you were there." He said with a bit of an awkward smile. He turned to Dux and gave a thumbs up, "And our cheer leading squad helped as well!" He laughed, returning his gaze to the sky, where dark rain clouds have begun to gather.

Misa became silent again, feeling a little useless. She was looking down at the ground with a frown. _Here's these two strong trainers, and then there's me. Really, there's no other reason for me being here other than the fact I needed to come here anyway. I kind of feel like an outsider. _Misa sighed a little as she glanced over at her Pokemon. Dux appeared a little happy to get the approval from Zack, but a little down-hearted to see his trainer frowning. Ditty was the same way, although he really wanted to know what the thing Jen picked up was and why it seemed to bother her a little.  
Jen smiled back at him when he complimented her, but was kinda hoping that Zack's awkward smile didn't mean what she thought. _Please tell me that this isn't the same as what happened last time I was in Sinnoh… _Jen turned back onto the path they were walking, she didn't really look up to where they were going anymore- she just looked down at the ground to see her two Pokémon playing around in her shadow. Even if no one else could really see them hiding there, she could. The two Pokémon were bickering over who should be playing around with Jen's shadow, sometimes making her own shadow do something goofy like start dancing or anything else along those lines. After she stopped looking down at the ground she put the band into her bag so that she wouldn't leave it behind somewhere. After a few moments' silence, Jen felt she should try to put some light onto Misa since Zack and Jen double battled together. "Hey Misa," Jen started, turning her head to look at her. "What kind of performances do you do..? I mean, you say you perform but there's a lot of stuff you can do with Ditty…." Jen said, leaving a 'you weren't specific enough' kind of tone near the end as she tried to think of it. "And Zack, since you're a trainer- how many badges do you have?" This time she turned to Zack too when she asked her question.  
Zack's attention turned from the skies to Jen, "Well as you can see by a majority of my pokemon, it's clear I've been to Kanto before." He said, taking a small case out of his bag and opening it to show her all eight Gym badges from the Kanto region, as well as 3 from Johto region. He closed the case and returned the case to his bag before adding, "Not much to show from someone who's been a trainer so long." He said as a drop of rain hit his cheek, turning his gaze up to the charcoal black skies.  
Misa seemed to perk up a little when Jen asked about what she, and her Pokemon, preformed. "Well, we travel from town to town, putting on free shows for anyone to watch. They are kinda like plays or little skits that tell some story. We only do it for fun, as we all enjoy it. I'm just lucky enough to have people like… Tip me after a show. It's thanks to them that I can pretty much do this and keep it free… We don't really join in on those Pokemon contests, only once in awhile, so I'm sorry if that's what ya thought I did." She laughed a little at the end, feeling that she did that all the time. Dux seemed happy that his trainer laughed, though now he started to feel a little nervous about what was ahead. It almost sounded like something was roaring in the distance…  
Ditty still didn't seem to care, as it was still wondering what Jen had. It kind of let out an 'aw' when she put it away without a word.

Jen nodded at Zack, thinking that she's a bit behind now. _I started my journey a few years ago and I really only spent about a year and a half traveling and getting my badges… I should go hit Cianwood City after taking care of Team Rocket. Then Jasmine, hm... _ "I have all of Sinnoh, Hoenn, and 4 of Jhoto- but I've battled against Cynthia, Wallace, and Steven… Kinda funny how Hoenn has two league champions." Jen said, smiling and feeling pretty happy with how much progress she's made- being quite eager to go and battle Kanto's gym leaders. "And actually… That's what I thought when you were talking about performances Misa." Jen said, a little embarrassed and a bit shy now. "That's pretty cool though, I wanna see your next performance." Jen added with a smile, hoping that she could possibly help Misa out too. Jen looked ahead to see that the Lake was in view, sometimes several people would rush past them as roars were heard. The people being quite frantic as they were leaving the area. _Yep, here we go again…_


	3. Lake of Rage Saga (Part 3)

Misa was about to continue explaining about her hobby when Zack fell over in the mud. She seemed a little more surprised by the feeling people though. Ditty floated over to Zack and offered its Darkrai hand out to help him up. Dux tried to avoid the boy, and any of the mud that was on the ground. Though, he seemed happy with the rain. "W-wow… Something bad really must be goin' on. This lake is never like this, even if there's an angry Pokemon on the loose," she uttered, putting her hand up to her mouth as if she were going to gasp. She forgot about Zack's question for the most part, since she was now actually becoming worried. "I think we should hurry it up… If this gets any worse, half of this area might be blown off the map."

Jen felt bad when she saw Zack fall over into the mud, she was about to give him a hand back up but she stopped when Ditty started to help him up. Jen nodded at what Misa had said with a sad expression set on her. It took her a moment for that expression to be replaced with one of wanting to help. "You're right, it usually isn't- and if anything, this place won't be blown off the map… It'd be under water for the expansion of the lake." Jen said aloud, half talking to herself with a slight shrug. After a moment, she started to put her hair back into a ponytail so that the only thing that was really whipping around was her bangs as the wind picked up to match the harsh weather. Despite the roaring wind, Jen thought she heard something closer to the lake- not one of the outraged Gyarados. It was a Pokémon cry that she'd grown up with knowing, the thought of it made her heart stop before she started to go ahead of the group and closer to the lake. "I want to see something…" Jen said; not sure if the others were willing to keep going. Before she knew it, Jen was starting to run over to the edge of the lake- no one else was really there at the lake except for another person. The guy had to be either his late teens or his early twenties, he was only looking out at the lake- his fiery hair moving only a little bit from the wind while his cape danced a bit in the wind. The cape matching the rest of his black and slightly red outfit, his expression showed no fear in the rampaging Pokémon in the lake. Some of the Gyarados even seemed to attack each other in the lake. The trainer was standing next to a Dragonite, which noticed Jen as she came closer to the two- the Pokémon coming by and greeting her happily- showing that the two knew each other. The dragon Pokémon turned to his trainer when his trainer turned to look at Jen. "Jen…" He acknowledged, nodding as he did- taking a pretty beaten up and old Pokeball off his belt and tossing it to Jen for her to catch. "Lance." Jen said, nodding like he did. _It's gotta be serious if he's involved… _Jen looked down at the Pokeball in her hand, being a bit overwhelmed as she did- most of all, just happy to be holding onto the Pokeball once more.

Zack grabbed the pokemon's outstretched hand with gratitude, "Thanks Ditty" He said finally getting to his feet and running his hand through his hair to get any excess mud out of it. He watched Jen rush off, turning to Misa and shrugging before darting off after Jen, not sure what to expect, but sure she could handle herself. He ran through a clearing that led to the Lake, being assualted by a now torrential downpour. Upon arrival, he saw Jen standing next to the man and his Dragonite, and began to put things together. _Gyardos and Lance...I should have thought he'd be here._ He looked at Jen as she received the pokeball from Lance, and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.

_It's a no brainer that she'd know Lance...But what's that?_ He thought, keeping an eye on the large pokemon in the middle of the Lake.

Ditty seemed happy to help Zack, but it quickly floated back over to Misa and Dux. It even picked up Dux so he wouldn't get dirty for the mud. Misa was actually surprised when Jen sort of ran out ahead, wondering why she suddenly seemed more enthusiastic to get to the lake, to say the least. She didn't really run after her or Zack, preferring just to jog her way there. The three reached the others just as Zack asked about who the new guy was. Ditty seemed to get excited about the dragon Pokemon and, after putting down Dux, changed into a blue snake-like dragon that had a horn and two wings on its head. Dux appeared worried about the lake more than anything. _This guy seems familiar. He looks like someone who'd be super popular. Actually, he seems like the type who battles… _Misa wondered silently to herself, as she gazed out at the raging Pokemon in the lake.

Jen turned around to watch Misa and Zack coming to the edge of the lake, half turning to them as well. She sighed a little, not really wanting to tell them much about her background. "Uhm, Misa, Zack. This is Lance, my cousin." Jen said, not really wanting to say all too much. "He's the League Champion of the Indigo Plateau and Silver Conference." Jen added, turning back to Lance to see him just wave at the two trainers- not at all seeming serious for introductions with the situation on hand. As for Jen, she did care- but she felt that she faced worse than this. _Let's see if Lance has actually been taking care of you… Heh, can't wait to battle him. _Jen allowed the Pokémon out, another Dragonite that seemed pretty uninterested when he was looking at Lance- but became absolutely happy and excited to see his trainer, shouting out "Aroo"s as he wagged his tail and flapped his wings eagerly near his trainer bending down for Jen to hug him and tell him how much of a good boy he was for Lance. Causing the two to start crying, it was even something to put a smile onto Lance's face before he walked over to try and get Jen back on track. "I know you haven't seen Dragonite in several years Jen… But, we have something big to deal with right now. Okay?" Lance said, as the two looked at him and nodding simultaneously- the two seemed to be able to read each other's minds already, despite how long they haven't seen each other. "Alright, now… There's been quite a few rampages going on in the lake- but only one Gyrados seems to be of most of their rampages. We need to take care of the Gyaradoses first before we can focus on the main problem. If we don't, the Gyarados will probably try to break the dams that protect Mahogany Town from being flooded." Lance explained quickly, hoping everyone would understand the importance of what they must do. "We need to split up into teams, two of us need to go to the dams and prevent the Gyarados from breaking it down. The other two will need to take out the Red Gyarados." Lance added, looking to see who would want to go where- not wanting a fight over "who wants to go where" as that wasn't needed in such a situation. As for Jen, she didn't mind where she went- she was just enjoying having her Dragonite back.

Zack watched Jen's happy reunion with her Dragonite and laughed. "Awesome." He said, managing to get a word out with all that was going on proving to be pretty tough. He slapped his forehead, the word "Idiot" echoing in his mind. He searched his belt for a minute before taking off an aqua colored pokeball, and tossing it into the air, only to catch it before it came back down. "Aurora, help us out!" he said, tossing the ball a little distance away.

A white light burst from the opening ball, releasing a real version of the pokemon Ditty had morphed into. A blue serpent-like pokemon with a white belly was coiled up, the pearl on it's neck and pearls on it's tail glimmering in the rain. The pokemon had gentle eyes, and small wings on the sides of her head where the ears should be. She let out a whine of contentment, happy to be out in the rain. She turned her attention to the two Dragonites, her eyes filled with wonder. "Well I think the two Dragonites might be overkill..." Zack laughed, patting his Dragonair on the head. "But I suppose I shouldn't separate family." He said looking at Misa, wondering how she was feeling about all of this battling that was going to take place.

A few moments after Ditty has transformed, it suddenly seemed in pain. It yelped a little, and then changed back to his normal form. The moment he did, the pain subsided. It appeared a little frightened, and it told Dux about the horrible experience it just went through. Misa nodded when Jen finished talking. _I thought that was who this is. I see him on television often… Cousins though, huh? No wonder she's strong… But, hmm… Wasn't Lance part of some clan, or what not? I hear those rumors when I go to Blackthorn. Does this means she's one of them too? I guess her havin' that Dragonite is the biggest give away. _"I think you guys need to take care of this quickly. My battlin' Pokemon won't do very well with these big Pokemon around," Misa told them, looking down and listening to her Pokemon discuss something.

Jen thought to herself for a moment, petting Dragonite on the head as she thought about the situation. Even though she really wanted to participate in the big battle, she sighed. "Okay, me and my Pokémon will handle the dams… Lance and Zack should go handle the big bad Gyarados together. Now, now, it's fine. I'm pretty sure you guys are man enough to handle red Gyarados on your own without me." Jen added a little sarcastic and teasing tone at the end. _Ah, I love teasing the guys. So much fun~!_ Dragonite moved a bit so that Jen could have an easier time getting onto his back for them to fly there. "Would you like to come with me anyway Misa? Helps better than no help, but you don't have to if you don't want to." Jen said, looking down at her from her Pokémon's back while Lance was getting onto his own dragon Pokémon's back. He was waiting to see both Misa's and Zack's response as he wanted to know that everything was fine-disregarding Jen's last comment.

Zack merely scoffed at Jen's comment and gave her a smirk, "Yeah, yeah..." He said, watching her get on to her Dragonite. He watched her get ready to depart, with a look of slight disappointment before turning to Lance and holding a fist up "That thing will never know what hit it!" Aurora sitting up tall and letting out a cry, and a little electricity. Zack gave his pokemon a nod and watched the tiny bolts fly. _Hm...I feel bad for Amp, he'd kill for a fight like this_. He looked back at the girls and smiled, "Good luck, and don't go getting hurt!" He said with a friendly tone, giving her a wink.

Misa was a little surprised when Jen kind of asked for her help. She felt she couldn't do anything in this situation, so when Jen brought it up, Misa was more than happy to go with her. She scooped up Dux and Ditty into her arms, Ditty actually having to hold on to avoid slipping out of her grip, and quickly got on Jen's Pokemon. "Okay then, I'll be comin' with you! We're good at the physical labor type of work," Misa told Jen, Ditty and Dux agreeing with her, determined expressions on their faces. "Just tell us what to do, and we'll do it without fail." _Although, I wouldn't mind seeing that discolored Pokemon in a battle. Pokemon like them make me so curious. Hopefully Ditty caught a glimpse of it._

Jen smiled when she saw how enthusiastic Misa was, her Dragonite taking off once Misa was on with her Pokémon. The situation with the Gyaradoses becoming quite clear, several of the smaller and younger Gyarados was ramming the dam with their heads while the older and larger Gyarados were using Hyper Beam on the dam walls. Some parts of the walls were starting to move back as they loosened one of the locks. Apparently, someone that made the dam had the smart idea of making not one, but two extra locks with the nearby Gyarados in mind. "Well, that's good, a little less pressure. Heh." Jen sighed, a little relieved. Then thinking about how to go about this, "I think I'm gonna distract the Gyradoses- do you think you can try to get to the control room and try to get the locks going? And to possibly lower the water levels between the dams? I don't think this one's gonna last long… but the least we need to worry about is the water being able to break down the other ones…" Jen said aloud, half thinking to herself again and hoping that Misa would be fine with doing all of that. Meanwhile, Lance took off once Zack did- his Dragonite easily catching up and gaining the lead. Like Jen, Lance was also planning out how to go about their battle against the Red Gyarados. Sadly, the Gyarados appeared to have body guards- which made Lance frown a bit. _We'll need to split up then… _"Zack, we'll take turns distracting the regular Gyaradoses from the leader- the person that isn't distracting them needs to attack the Red Gyarados. Which job do you want first?" Lance asked over the deafening roars of the Pokémon below.

Zack watched the red Gyarados, thinking of the best strategy to take it down with Lance. "Well considering that Dragonite is most like likely more powerful than Aurora, I think she'll be more than willing to help distract them. She can use thunder wave too, if you feel it necessary." He said, as his Dragonair coiled and uncoiled eagerly, awaiting a command from either his trainer, or the esteemed dragon tamer. Zack saw that the Gyaradoses had annihilated the first lock and had begun to work on the second one, growing more and more furious with every attack. Hyper beams could be seen shooting in to the sky blindly as the dragon pokemon released thunderous roars. I hope they'll be okay over there... He thought, as he awaited a response from Lance.

Misa seemed a little worried about the job Jen was giving her. She was peering down at the dam with a nervous expression. "Oh, uh, okay… I think I can do that," she mumbled a little. _I've never operated a dam before… That's not just something everyone knows. Hopefully there are easy-to-understand controls. Like… "Push here if the Pokemon are on a rampage." _Ditty was trying to reassure Misa as Jen's Dragonite landed to let them off. They watched Jen fly off before they quickly made it inside the control room. At first they thought it would only be them, but Dux saw that some guy was laying on the floor near the main controls. It appeared he got knocked out by some debris when the Pokemon had started attacking.

"Let's try to wake this guy up…" Misa told her Pokemon as they rushed over. Ditty turned into a hand-powered fan for Dux to start flapping while Misa started tapping his shoulder.

Lance looked over at Zack, thinking that the use of Thunder Wave was an obvious necessity. "Yes, use Thunder Wave. That move makes those Gyaradoses slow down a bit, sometimes it makes them unable to move." Lance replied, waiting a moment for all the regular Gyaradoses to follow after Zack before Dragonite started following the red Gyarados. "Use Dragon Pulse to distract him, then go in and use Dragon rush." Lance whispered to his faithful Pokémon, the Dragon Pokémon swooped down a bit before letting out a deep purple beam at the Red Gyarados, once the Red Gyarados started going after Dragonite. The Red Gyarados used Hyper Beam to try its best at hitting Dragonite, to its dismay- Dragonite avoided the attack with great ease, building up in speed as he dove with a purple stream starting to form as he went in for a head-first move on the Red Gyarados.

Zack growled, _You think I didn't know that?_ He thought to himself, shrugging off the comment before sending his eager Dragon pokemon into the water just after Jen and Dragonite's assualt. Aurora darted through the water, sending out pulses of electricity every few seconds, keeping the Gyaradoses from retaliating upon recovery. A few of the older Gyaradoses, however, had become too enraged to care and produced large hyper beams through the pain, stopping only for short intervals. Zack continued to command Aurora swiftly, his pokemon performing admirably as she took blows from some of the underwater Gyaradoses. _Tch...She can't take much more!_ He thought, hearing the Dragonair's cry periodically.

Just when he was about to return her, a flash of white light shot from Zack's belt, taking the shape of his Jolteon. Zack couldn't help but smirk, "Always the hero, huh boy?" He said as his pokemon gave him a cocky smile, despite the immediate pain striking his head from the disturbance. He turned to the Lake and awaited the order from Zack. He returned Aurora and whispered "Great job, Girl." To her ball before snapping it onto his belt and looking up at the towering crimson Gyarados. "Okay Amp, Hit it with Thunder! Everything you've got!" He shouted, pointing to the monsterous beast.

The group, now with Darkrai, couldn't seem to wake the guy. After shaking him a few times, which probably wasn't a good idea considering the fact he was hit in the head, Misa told Ditty to squirt water at him 'or something'. Ditty jiggled then changed into another pink Pokemon, which had stubby legs and coral coming out of it. It took a breath then squirted some water at the man. This time, he finally woke up. "Uugh, what… Who are… Oh, the dam!" he exclaimed, after a moment of confusion. He hastily got up and moved over to the controls, clearly panicking over the fact it was breaking. As he began to do something that involved pushing buttons, Misa let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness… I probably would have ended up flooding the town, or something…

Lance and his Dragonite were about to go in for another Dragon Rush when Amp's attack almost hit two as they went to attack. Once the two pulled away to a safer distance, Lance seemed to sigh a bit annoyed with Zack, he covered his eyes with his hand when he did while Dragonite looked away. _You're gonna kill everything in that Lake if you keep that up… We're not trying to kill- just calm down and distract the rampaging Gyarados… What about their innocent young that are being hurt in the water right now? _Lance shook his head twice before telling his Dragonite to fly within ear shot of Zack. "You need to stop using electrical attacks! You're hurting the Magikarp and other water types that aren't involved!" Lance shouted, after a few moments Lance turned his attention to the red Gyarados that was being electrocuted, his roars of pain being quite obvious. _It looks like I'm gonna have to catch it. _"Come on Dragonite; let's try to get close again. We're trying plan B this time…" Dragonite nodded once, seeming to start showing signs of the radio signals getting to him as he took off this time. The Pokémon remained at a safe distance, still wary of any other random bolts of lightning coming from the storm above as Lance got an Ultra Ball ready and tossed it at the red Gyarados- the ball taking a moment to start falling through the air and going into the water with a loud plop. As the ball floated in the waves, Dragonite moved a bit closer so the two could see if the Ultra Ball was still shaking as well as waiting to see if it was safe to pull it out of the water.

Jen was still holding off all the rampaging water Pokémon with ease, her Draognite still not feeling the effects of the radio waves yet. Dragonite still used Dragon Pulse now and again to keep the chase going. Sometimes even having to resort to Hyper Beam to any Gyarados that got too close to the pair, although that didn't seem to worry Jen much. She focused most of her attention on the dodging, once she turned to see the dam at the corner of her eyes closing again- she couldn't help but smile. _Nice job Misa… to be honest… I woulda flooded the whole city if I were left with that job. _Jen giggled a little at the thought and Dragonite called out cheerfully at their victory, some of the Gyarados were starting to go under water too- losing interest in the chase after the dragon type. Despite the Red Gyarados being gone on the other side of the lake, Jen still had to keep up with dodging the angry Gyaradoses. _Maybe it was a bad idea to keep attacking them… _She sighed a bit, not liking the decision she made as she was in some trouble as these Gyarados weren't being affected by Amp's electric attacks.

Zack looked at Lance with annoyance, "It would take more than one electric attack to kill something that huge Lance, no matter how effective it is!" He shouted as he assessed the situation. He watched as Lance flew out to catch the pokemon, and called off Amp's frontal assault having him continue what Aurora started with a few harmless thunder waves. Zack turned to the closing dams with a smirk and a nod, seeing things take a turn for the better, until he looked up. He saw a few rouge Gyarados had become blind with pure rage, attacking Jen and her Dragonite relentlessly. He turned to Amp, but couldn't call him off to help, for the safety of Lance_. Scout doesn't have any ranged attacks exactly...and Ember...She couldn't stand this rain for a minute...Just hang in there Jen-!_ Zack thought to himself, now watching the Gyarados move in for a group assault.

Seeing that the job was being done by the guy, who relatively ignored the small group, Misa rushed outside. Ditty, back to normal now, and Dux followed right behind her, Darkrai not far behind.

The wind had blown Misa's hair into her face, and she had to quickly get that out of the way and hold it back before she looked for everyone else. It wasn't hard to spot Jen and Dragonite, since the bright beams were clearly targeted at her. "That looks really bad… They are all still in an outrage. If it wasn't so loud, I'd make ya sing 'em to sleep Ditty. I really hope she can get out of there…" Misa said aloud, only because she couldn't just simply think to herself. "But, be ready anyway Ditty. We are the closest, so if she gets in trouble, we'll probably be the ones to rush in, okay?" Ditty nodded, though he didn't look forward to changing into a Pokemon that might put itself in pain.

Jen made another round as Misa went outside, having the same idea as Misa to put them asleep- only through different means. "Darkrai, use Dark Void on these Pokémon!" Jen shouted, her Dragonite hesitating a moment as he started to get tired and worn out. "Dragonite, I know you've done a lot, but I'm just asking for one more Extremespeed. We just need one good distance and you can stop going so fast." Jen instructed her dragon Pokémon who nodded once with a determined look on his face before darting ahead once more. Once Dragonite started to pick up speed, Jen patted Dragonite a little- being very proud of him. Meanwhile, Darkrai followed her orders, he even hesitated a minute too until it was a good time. His eye already started to glow as well as the move started to build up a little in his right hand that was pointed at the lake. _I better get triple the Enigma berries… Even though I did nothing to help Misa out… Hehehe. _Once it was clear that Dragonite was in the lead by quite a bit again, the water in the lake had started to turn darker and several of the Gyarados seemed to have been pulled under forcefully. Jen continued to make rounds over the darkened spot until all of the outraged ones were pulled under to sleep their anger off. "Phew," Jen mumbled, her Dragonite sighing a bit of relief too before flying over to the dam where Misa was at. "Hey, you did great! How did you know how to work those things? I mean, wasn't there controls labeled and stuff?" Jen asked as she landed, still on her Pokémon's back for whenever Misa wanted to hop on to regroup with the guys. _Hopefully the guys aren't bashing heads together right now… Oh well, I'm pretty sure they're talking about a baseball game or something right now…_

Once Amp had finished his electrical attacks, Dragonite lowered a bit more to grab the Pokeball quickly before handing it off to Lance for him to hold onto. Lance sighed once more, thinking a little things could gone a bit better but was quite pleased that nothing bad had happened yet. He even glanced over at the girls' work to see Jen handling herself quite nicely with her two Pokémon. "Hm, our battle together will be one for the books, won't it Dragonite?" Lance asked, noticing that his Pokémon was watching too. The dragon nodded, looking over for a few moments longer before flying back over to the lake's edge with his trainer to meet up with Zack.

Zack looked up with a sigh of relief, the rain finally beginning to let up now that the Gyaradoses had all been calmed. The sun peeked through the clouds, shining on the lake and reflecting on to different areas around the lake, bathing the shores in light. Zack gave a small smile, Zack returned Amp to his pokeball, "Thanks boy, and Aurora thanks you too I bet." He said, snapping the ball onto his belt and running a hand through his dripping hair, pushing his bangs up and out of his eyes. He looked quickly at Lance, who was talking to his Dragonite, then in the general direction of the girls. _I think Jen has Lance beaten personally...She's pretty amazing..._

Zack thought to himself, putting is hands behind his head and zoning out, watching the girls approach them. He looked at them with a smile, unaware that his thoughts had turned his face a light shade of red, contrasting the brilliant blue that the sunlight had revealed in his eyes.. "You two were amazing. Oh and Jen, the way you handled your Dragonite was outstanding." He said, before stopping short and cringing, holding his arm where Amp's bolt had struck, the mud beginning to cause a revived stinging sensation.

As Misa climbed up on Dragonite, holding onto her Pokemon again, she answered, "Aaah, luckily I didn't have to do anythin'. There was some guy passed out in there, and we managed to wake him up. He took over after that." Then the group flew back over to the boys, Misa sliding off the dragon Pokemon once they landed. Misa put down Dux and Ditty, who started playing around now that the major threat was over, and then looked at Zack. She quickly pulled off her bag, rummaged through it, and pulled out a few things.

After closing her bag and putting back over her shoulder, Misa handed Zack the items. In the left hand was stuff to clean out the wound and stop the pain somewhat, and in the right was a bandage. "I'm not sure if you guys have anything for human injuries, but I have a ton of it on me. This way, we won't have to stop, and we can continue investigating this horrible incident."

When Misa started to pull out the bandages and cleaning supplies, Jen felt a nostalgic sensation- but she was beginning to get over that now. _I really need to bring that stuff along with me… Reminds me of when I beat my knees up badly… _Jen couldn't help but glance down at her legs as she pulled her hair elastic out of her dripping wet hair. Once Jen was done watching Misa take care of Zack's wound, she smiled a little sheepishly. "Yeah, but it's easy when you've had the Pokémon from before you were ten. It's really Dragonite doing all the work though; I think he was risking himself a little more than me." Jen responded, blushing a tad before looking up at her dragon Pokémon behind her who was smiling happily and wagging his tail a little bit. Then Jen's smile and blushing went away when she returned her attention to Lance, thinking about how her Dragonite was still not feeling completely right. "I think there's still something wrong going on, we need to focus on the main problem now…" Jen stated, kicking some of the dirt with her right foot. To that, Lance nodded solemnly after hooking the Ultra Ball to his belt. "You're right, some of the Pokémon are still being affected- but now that Mahogany is safe we can just focus on the main problem. I believe we need to head back to Mahogany Town though," Lance responded, feeling that the explanations why were a bit unnecessary. _Our Dragonites need a rest once we get there, knowing them though-they're not gonna want to sit on the sidelines in their Pokeballs though…_ With Lance's response, Jen hopped back onto her Dragonite like he did- feeling quite bad for everything she's been putting him through. "Sorry buddy, just one more ride and you'll have a nice long break in the Pokeball." Jen whispered, hugging her Pokémon a little before concentrating again- waiting for Zack and Misa to go on the Dragonites to get over to Mahogany Town.


	4. Lake of Rage Saga (Part 4)

***********Editor's Note*************

**To understand any foreshadowing in this chapter (Or any previous ones) Please take a small trip back to Sinnoh, close to a year prior.**

** art/The-Return-of-Ceres-81661288**

Zack let out a sigh of relief after his wound was cleaned and wrapped, a small band being tied crudely around his arm. "Thanks Misa, that's much better." He said with a smile, before turning to the others and nodding. "I need to stop at the center before we go any further though, Aurora took a bit of damage during that fight…" He said, feeling bad that he couldn't prevent his pokemon's suffering. "And I should get out of these clothes. Then I want to hear a little more about when you were young Jen, if it's okay." He said, looking at her small smile and blushing a bit. _Talented, and cute_… Zack thought, with a sigh.

He began to gather all of his things to get ready for the flight back, but was interrupted by Amp breaking free of his ball once more. Zack stood close to his pokemon, communicating with him, before standing up and rubbing the back of his head. "If you're sure you're okay with it…It would help a lot." He said to his pokemon, before looking at the group. "Amp's volunteered to help us locate the source of the signal. Ever since we've arrived in this area, he's been extremely sensitive to it, even creating a discharge. He's willing to fight it off long enough to pinpoint it's location." Zack stated, Amp nodding the whole time, occasionally scratching at his ears.

Misa took a step back, both feeling good about helping out but also feeling like she did nothing. She watched Ditty and Dux play around for a moment, just thinking silently to herself. "Well… If you need to go to the Center, then why don't I go with Lance and we start looking for whatever it is?" she said suddenly, thinking it was a good idea. "Since I was the only one who didn't really battle, my Pokemon are the most rested. That, and they don't seem to be affected by this weird happening, unless Ditty changes into some Pokemon… Still, I'm pretty sure he can deal with it, and take over the role of pinpointing the signal thingy." She looked over at Lance, wondering what he thought.

_That way Zack and Jen can do what they need, and find us to be backup. _Ditty actually seemed to look forward to its role, if it actually got it.

Zack looked down at Amp, who looked both disappointed, and actually relieved. Zack looked at Misa, and responded with a nod. "I think we should rest up boy." He said, noticing Amp's disappointment, "It'd be best if you were there to help us when we really needed it, but the offer is appreciated." He said, as his pokemon sulked a bit. Zack smiled, bending down and stroking his head before returning him to his ball once more. Zack finished getting ready, and approached Jen with a small nod. "Alright, we're good to go, I just hope you don't mind the muddy clothes." He said, feeling bad and slightly embarrassed. After a while, the group was in the air and on their way to Mahogany town, Jen and Zack on one Dragonite, Misa and Lance on the other. Zack watched as Jen handled her Dragonite with the same mastery that he had seen at the Lake of Rage. "So how did you learn to handle Dragonite like this? I mean, I know Lance is your Cousin, but this is unbelievable!" He said, looking down at the fields of grass and battling trainers below.

Lance nodded at Misa, believing that she would have a big part in the group right now. "It's also not just battling as well- it's also the fact that we're about to enter enemy territory that you'll possibly have to go undercover for… Of course, that is your choice and you won't be forced to have to do it. I'll still be going in there either way." Lance explained to Misa as she climbed onto his Dragonite, flying towards the building with the weird tree and suspicious looking sign in front of the shop. Once the two were inside of the shop, Lance had returned his Dragonite into his Pokeball before going into the shop- giving a nod to for Misa to go in first before Lance could go in to try and make it seem less suspicious.  
Jen shook her head at Zack's comment, looking to see if Dragonite would mind either- who really didn't seem to care much about mud. "Nah, its fine- it's just mud, not acid." Jen replied jokingly, smiling a little at how he was embarrassed over something that Zack didn't have control over. Once they were flying, it took Jen a few moments to answer Zack's question. "I didn't learn, I just went and flew with Dragonite myself. I've been friends with Dragonite since my eighth birthday and I got a Dragon type before Lance did anyway." Jen explained, always enjoying those memories from when she was younger. Only a few more moments passed before landing at the Pokémon Center, within those few moments Dragonite would try to show off by speeding up or doing a fancy twirl before letting out an 'Aroo'. Once the two were off, Jen thanked her long-time friend before returning Dragonite to his Pokeball for his break.

Misa didn't really seem nervous at all about going into enemy territory. If anything, she was a little excited. She didn't really say anything to Lance, since she figured he would be able to tell that she was all for it. Ditty and Dux seemed to share in her excitement too, as they seemed to be discussing about how to go about it. When they landed and Misa prepared to go in, she told Lance, "Just five minutes… If I can't get anything out of them then, it'll definitely require a little more… Force?" She kind of laughed, feeling that Lance could probably be much more intimidating that herself.

_Unless Panzer was out with me._ Ditty changed into a hat for Misa to put on, so she wouldn't get more attention for having two Pokemon out. Then they walked in. It was a pretty unsuspicious, if not gaudy, shop, nothing out of the ordinary that stood out. There were two people in there, both of which jumped at Misa's entrance.

Once Zack and Jen had reached the Pokemon Center, Zack took his pokemon to the nurse at the counter, who gave him concerned looks about being soaked and covered in mud. He replied with an awkward grin that seemed to say "Oops" as she gave him a room to put his things in before going to the bathroom to rinse off really quick, not having time to take a full-blown shower at the moment. Splashing warm water on his face, he let out a sigh of content before grabbing a towel and drying off, leaving his hair damp and messy. After all of this, he went back to his room and changed into a pair of baggy blue pants and a tight fitting black T-shirt. He smiled, happy not to be wet anymore, grabbed his bag and left the room.

He met up with Jen in the lobby and looked at her, brushing his bangs out of his face and smiling, before going to the counter and receiving his pokemon from the nurse, who gave a nod of approval and a warm smile. "That's better!" She said as she put her hands on her hips, her Chansey doing the same. Zack scratched the back of his head before turning to Jen once more. "Ready to head out?" He said, releasing Aurora to accompany them.

Jen waited by the counter the whole time Zack was cleaning himself up, refusing to get changed or anything from her dripping wet clothes. _Hm, I wonder if anyone would believe the story that I just got back from a water park…_ Jen pondered over the thought, wanting to get her room key as she waited- as well as getting Dragonite checked out too. Once Zack got back and the two received their Pokémon, Jen nodded at his question- ready to head out with her Dragonite out of the Pokeball as well. "We might want to take it slow though, knowing Lance- he's got an undercover plan going on instead of trying brute force first." Jen reasoned, shaking her head at the idea with Dragonite following suit. Showing even more how close the two trainers were, something that made Jen smile too. _I kind of just want to take it slow for a moment too; Dragonite had to go as fast he could to even stay safe… Meh, it'll give Zack a chance to know me better as he did ask me that random question before…_

As Lance waited for Misa's five minutes of undercover work, he waited close to the door- trying his best to listen to the conversation going on inside. _Hm, it's probably a really good thing for me to actually wait outside… Stinks that most criminals recognize me by now… _He shrugged a tad from the thought before messing around with his hair a little as he waited for his cue. Walking in after the five minute estimate was up, but staying on the opposite side of the store- looking through various Pokémon goods.

Zack nodded, taking a seat and relaxing as he looked at Jen, then at her dripping, wet clothes. He shifted a bit in his seat, looking a bit flustered, "Y-You sure you don't want to change? I have some extra clothes if that's the issue." He said, his pokemon noticing his jumble of emotions and smiling cunningly. She wrapped her body around Jen's leg, looking up at her, then back at Zack with a grin.

Misa didn't turn her head, or even appear like she noticed Lance walking in. She had her arms crossed and she appeared to be a little flustered. The other man that was just standing to himself took notice of Lance though, and seemed to get even more nervous. He sort of looked away, as if that would make him invisible or something. "How long have you been working here anyway? You don't even seem ta know the least bit of info about the town here…" Dux appeared a little annoyed too, leaning his weight on his leek.

"W-whatever… Who cares about how long we've been here. Just buy something a-and get out… W-we're just a shop, after all…" the man kept stuttering, avoiding Misa's gaze. He was trying to be forceful with getting her out of the shop, but his shaking voice ruined it. Misa sighed, looking away from him and peering at Lance standing in the other side of the shop. _Why would I want to buy anything from here anyway? Everything is so tacky and has nothing to do with the history of the town… It's probably the most random place to put a shop like this. The only other spot that would be stranger would be on a route… Hopefully Lance will have a better go at this than me. All I did was find out that this is was too suspicious to not be something…_

Jen looked at Zack with a slightly confused look, raising her eyebrow a little too. "No, I'm fine. Thanks for the offer though." Jen replied, feeling a little awkward. _It's too weird to get into someone else's clothes that you've only met not even a day ago… Although, I should probably change and leave my bag behind… It looks weird that I'm all soaking wet…_ With a slight sigh, Jen turned back towards the Pokémon to get changed with her arms crossed. "I'll be back in a few minutes..." Jen called back, Dragonite following her into the Pokémon Center and to her room. Jen came back about ten minutes later with light blue jeans and an orange shirt that read 'Rawr' at the top with a small Charmander at the bottom right corner of her shirt. Jen's hair was dry enough to put back into a ponytail again that would swing from side to side as she walked. _Zack's definitely going to ask me a question…_

Lance sighed as he saw their inventory, finding all the items to be rather unnecessary. _There's only Pokeballs and Potions here… How is this supposed to help trainers? Okay, yes they help out the trainers just starting out, but most aren't around this town at this point in their journeys- as well as not being very helpful for the trainers that are further down the road to this point in time. Sigh… Okay, let's get this over with…_ Lance started to go towards the counter when he determined that it was obvious that they were hiding something and that Misa wasn't able to get the information out of them with her questions. "Look, just tell the young lady what she wants. It's obvious that there's something going on here. So just answer her questions or else." Lance interrupted, being quite serious with the two men- clearly knowing that the second guy was involved and hiding something as well. If the guys decided to not answer, Lance had his hand ready to grab a Pokeball from his belt.

Zack nodded, scratching the back of his head, "Yeah, sorry, it just seemed like the thing to do." He said lowly as he watched her walk to her room. He regained his composure and sighed a sigh of both relief and disappointment. He looked at his Dragonair and smirked a bit, "Knock it off ya little romantic." He said with a laugh as his pokemon swayed back and forth with cunning look.

Zack fiddled with his bandages for most of the time Jen was gone, making them worse at some times. _Kinda hard to perform first aid on yourself, let alone with one hand…_ He said, shrugging it off and turning to Jen who was coming down the hallway. He choked up a bit as he stared at her long hair, but shook it off soon enough, Aurora still grinning at her trainer. "Welcome back." He said simply, flashing a smile and standing to meet her. He gave a look of approval when he saw her new shirt, turning red when he noticed how it hugged her body in some areas. As not to be rude, he quickly looked away and brought up the obvious question, "So how do you think those two are holding up?" Meanwhile, Aurora was beside herself, quickly flailing her tail back and forth and grinning.

Misa looked up at Lance when he moved over to her side, threatening the guy she was trying to get answers from. The man appeared to be very intimidated and afraid, but, even though his teeth were chattering, he shook his head. He wasn't going to give it up. "Look, just tell us what this whole thing is about… Or at least what this store is really used for. It's just too odd for a shop like this to appear in and such a small, old town like this… Half the people living here are seniors anyway," Misa sighed, getting more to the point now. She kind of leaned towards the man, trying to look tough like Lance too, though it was questionable if it was working. Her 'hat' seemed angry too, as it let out a frustrated 'Ditto!'

This really only confused the man, but he stayed firm on keeping his mouth shut. His companion was just quivering in his little corner, wishing the two would just go away.

Jen shrugged off his look of approval, as she was going to be wearing this whether he liked it or not. Although she did smile a little, feeling a little shy and embarrassed when she noticed his blush and avoiding look. "Uhm…" She mumbled as she tried to think of something to say- glad that he thought of a question for the now awkward conversation. "I think with Lance's way of doing things and Misa's acting that they're probably getting into the hideout or getting the information they need in approximately… two minutes?" Jen replied, tilting her head a little with her guess as she looked up at the sky- almost as if a cloud had an answer. After a moment or two, she looked back at Zack with a slight smile before noticing that his bandage was starting to become undone. _What'd he do? Use weights or do push-ups? That thing is starting to get undone and Misa just put it on a little while ago._ Jen did a mental eye-roll when she finished blabbing to herself before walking towards Zack and just fixing his bandage without a word before hopping onto Dragonite. "When did you get your Dragonair?" Jen asked quickly, always loving to have the opportunity to talk about Dragon types- despite the current situation going on. _I kinda want to just give Misa and Lance those last two minutes real fast…_

Like Jen had mentioned, Lance was ready to get the rest of this over with using the bad cop routine. Lance had grabbed a Pokeball on his belt to let out a younger Dragonite who roared a little to intimidate the two men to the best of his ability without having to push them around a little. "Tell us again what's going on? If you don't, I'll turn you two over to Officer Jenny myself." Lance threatened- his Dragonite on the other side of him where Misa wasn't.

Zack looked at Jen and nodded, recovering rather quickly. "Yeah, Lance was tough when I challenged him back in Kanto, I imagine he's only gotten t-" He said, breaking off when Jen stepped over to fix his bandage. _Such a delicate touch..._ He thought, blushing wildly and stuttering. He looked up at her eyes, the redness never leaving his face. "Th-Thanks." He said, after much effort. "Aurora..." He continued, his voice quivering a bit as Jen finished and asked her question.

(10:05:52 AM): "Me and her go way back..." He said, getting ready to head over to meet the two before continuing with his story. "My Father traveled alot, and I've been to a bunch of different towns with him way back when. Once when we stopped in Blackthorn, he was in a meeting, so I sat outside on the shore of the pond separating the City from what I now know is the Dragon's Den. Amp, who was just an Eevee at the time, sat with me soaking up the sun as I skipped a few rocks. Well after a while, a Dratini who had apparently made her way out of the den and into the pond, peeked out of the water to look at what was going on.

(10:05:58 AM): I smiled and tossed another rock and she dove after it, bringing it back moments later. When I eventually turned to leave, I noticed I was being followed, and we've been friends ever since." Zack said, holding a small, flat rock out to Jen to see as he and Aurora met with the two, ready to go.

The two men both gasped, though the one slower than the other since he only reacted when he heard the Pokemon. The man being interrogated started shaking even more. It appeared as if he was wondering if keeping this secret was even worth it. He looked around the shop nervously, glancing at the strange bookshelf more than once, before he looked back at the two trainers and their Pokemon. "Well? Are you gonna answer me now? What secret are you hiding here?" Misa asked again, feeling that now the man would finally spill what was on his mind.

However, with very broken words, the man muttered, "I-I don't… know… What you're t-talking about… J-just an ordinary s-shop…" He looked at Lance and his Dragonite, almost cringing when he anticipated what may come next. Misa practically did the same thing, though she seemed to be looking forward to it. _I don't like people that are scared but stubborn like him. He obviously fears getting hurt and doesn't even look like he wants to keep whatever this is a secret. Then, why does he? _Dux kind of took a step back, having a feeling something physical was going to happen.

Jen smiled a tad at Zack, taking notice that he was blushing and felt bad. _I'm going to feel bad when we're done with this mess. I'm such an awful person; I just hope that he was blushing for some other reason… Maybe he's getting cold from the winter air? _Jen's thoughts moved on when Zack had mentioned Dragon's Den though, looking up at her Dragonite as that's where the two met so long ago. "I met my Dratini in Dragon's Den, my family protects the dragon Pokémon in that place so it's reasonable that I befriended Dragonite there- sadly, I haven't been there in a while." Jen said, seeming to sigh a little as she thought about how she found Dragonite so long ago and the events that followed. _My family was a pain, but I wouldn't want to trade Dragonite away for anything. _After a moment's thought, Jen got onto Dragonite's back- thinking that she gave the two a chance to finish their mission. "How many years ago were you there in Blackthorn?" Jen asked a little curiously.

Meanwhile, Lance was ready to pull through with his threat- his Dragonite ramming the guy they were interrogating into the wall. Although the Pokémon had only shoved the man around a bit as to not injury him badly or anything- once that was done, Lance followed the man's gaze from when he glanced to the other side of the room away from the two trainers. As he got closer to the bookcase, he heard a faint whistling. The whistling noise getting louder as he walked closer to the bookcase, once he was next to it he could feel a slight draft from below it. "Misa, come over here… Tell me what you feel over here…" He said, motioning her to come over with his hand as he had one hand on the bookcase to feel the air- wanting to see if he was imagining it and possibly some help moving it.

Zack looked up, seeming to peek into his head for answers. "Well, it was sometime before I started fighting the leaders in Kanto, possibly about three years ago..." He said as Aurora nodded slowly. Zack turned to Jen and cocked his head after answering the question he was asked. "But enough about me..." He said with a smile, only a little surprised that Jen helped Lance and her family in guarding the Dragon's Den. "So, if you don't mind me asking the same question?" He said, looking at Jen's long time companion. "Is there any reason you haven't been back in so long?" He said scratching the back of his head and looking down, feeling like he was crossing some line. "I mean, only if you want to answer..." He said, sensing some awkwardness in the subject from Jen's expressions.

Misa seemed to both approve of 'roughing up' the man, and dislike it at the same time. _I don't really like it when Pokemon are used in that way… It makes them seem like the bad ones, when the humans are to blame… _When Lance had moved over to the bookcase and asked her the question, though, Misa seemed to forget about that and her interest grew. Dux was admiring the Dragonite's strength before he waddled behind Misa as she moved over to Lance.

At first, she really wasn't sure what she was supposed to be feeling for. She stuck out her hand and just kind of stared at it for a moment. _I… guess this spot is a little colder than normal… Is that what he meant?_ After another moment, she realized what it was and felt a little silly. "Oh… Yeah, there's some weird breeze thing comin' from underneath it, or something," she gasped slightly, trying to see if there was a vent or crack in the wall. Dux moved closer and shoved his leek between the wall and the bookcase, using great force just to move it a little bit. There appeared to be a hole or something in the floor. He was much too tired to move it anymore, though. The two men seemed to be beyond nervous now, and were kind of planning a means of escape.

Jen seemed to have been taken aback by Zack's question, not really sure how to answer it. She didn't seem to really like giving the answer to this question, or even talking about this part of her past with people that much either. Dragonite sensed her agitation, turning his head back a little to check on her a little before turning to look down at Aurora. "It was… very difficult when I was younger… My parents divorced and I moved to Sinnoh with my mom as a shortened version of the whole mess…" Jen replied, she closed her eyes- shuddering a little for the reason. _I hate my dad… If he can even be called that… He's planted so much fear into my life… I despise it…_ After a moment of thinking about her dad, her mind drifted off to her journey in Sinnoh… Her first time catching a Pokémon… Her first friend… Her first- Jen shook her head, not even wanting to dive into more grief as the two had a job to do and Jen wasn't about to sit out on a fight due to something as silly as a guy. "Come on Zack, we gotta get going. They're waiting for us now." Jen said, her Dragonite beating his wings as he ascended into the air- waiting for Aurora before taking off. _No, you're not gonna take over my life all because of what you did to me… Bleh, I hate men sometimes… _She shook her head a little as her ponytail whipped around in the air, sometimes her bangs even stinging her face from the air.

Once Misa said she felt the breeze and Dux had noticed a gap in the floor- Lance started to push the bookcase. It didn't take long for him to do so as the bookcase seemed to have been able to slide back and forth for easy access to the stairs underneath. Lance peered down the hole, motioning for his Dragonite to follow in case of any Rocket Grunts- no longer caring much for the scared men in the shop anymore. "Hm, the hide out was under the bookcase… Not very smart to have two nervous rookies out in the shop in my opinion…" Lance mumbled as he descended the staircase- checking for any movements in the hallways. The hallway seemed quite furnished, the flooring being made of shiny flooring where you can even see your own reflection. Along the walls of the long hallway were Persian statues every few yards, their Ruby eyes and center gem glowing brightly. Even with the lights shining above each one, their eyes seemed to glow a little more than it should- giving it an eerie feeling of life in each statue, as if they would jump down their pedestals and start attacking the two at any moment. Even that gave Lance a sudden shudder crawl down his spine before calming himself and being ready to fight, after a few moments- no one came, it seemed no one was even in this hallway. Once Lance gave it the okay, he walked back a little up the stairs. "Its fine Misa, you can come down now, just watch your step…" Lance said, his warning being a bit clear as it dangled in the air. _You never know where each step will take you and the events each movement will cause…_

Zack drew back a bit, letting out a small "Tch!" escape his lips before looking down. _I had a feeling something was wrong...I should've just left it alone... _He thought as he clenched his fist, feeling like a jerk. "Yeah, sorry I asked. I mean...I guess it really wasn't any of my business... I—Will just shut up now." He said, cutting himself off from making a fool of himself. _Quite the smooth one you are Zack..._ He thought, before pinching the area between his eyes and sighing. "Yeah, let's just get going," He said finally, patting Aurora on the head and returning her before leaving with Jen. After a short flight, the two arrived at the shop, walking in as Lance was entering the lower portion with Misa. Zack shook his head with a cunning smirk at the grunts, giving a small salute as he walked past them. _That was pretty fast, I think Lance got fed up quick..._ He thought, as he decended the stairs into the eerie Rocket hideout.

Misa watched Lance head down first, still not feeling nervous at all. Dux appeared to be though, as he peered down the hole with a nervous look. _So there really is something bad going on, huh? Criminals… I don't really understand what goes through their minds… _Seeing that there was no more need to be hiding, Ditty hopped off Misa's head, changing back to normal in mid air and landing with a plop. It started to give Dux some encouraging words.

When Lance came back to say the coast was clear, that was when the other two finally arrived. Misa turned her head to look at them, giving a small greeting before she headed down into the secret base. The man-made environment seemed to make Misa uncomfortable, even more so when she looked at the statues. However, once Ditty saw the statues, it couldn't help but turn into a matching Persian with the same piercing red eyes.

Jen shook her head at Zack, finding it not to be his fault. "Its fine Zack, you're not psychic… You couldn't have known. Don't worry about it." Jen said, turning her head back at Zack before looking forward to try and enjoy the ride. _That's it, once I'm done with my 6__th__gym badge; I'm going on a nice, long break from everything! My heart just aches right now… But first, it's time to kick some serious tail. _Jen nodded to herself once, her pain from thinking about her past momentarily being subdued and replaced with quite a bit of determination. Once the two got off of Dragonite, Jen had returned her Pokémon before telling Zack to run off ahead for a moment. Jen tapped the ground with toes of her sneakers, her shadow responding with an eerie smile once more- this time bright blue eyes showed up as well. "You two ready?" Jen mumbled the question, not wanting to seem insane again. Her shadow nodded in response, although the eyes seemed quite greedy. "No, no more berries until this is over. This is serious business Darkrai, so please just do what I ask of you for once _without_ any back talk…" She stated firmly, crossing her arms. The eyes appeared quite shocked at first before looking quite displeased and fading away. Jen sighed in response, rummaging through her bag quickly before dropping the berry on the frowning-eyeless shadow. Darkrai's hands quickly came up and grabbed the berry- the eyes coming back showing some peacefulness from having the berry. Once that business was taken care of, Jen rushed in- going down the stairs quickly before tripping on her own two feet and almost falling on the shiny floor. The only things that were preventing her from falling flat on her face were two pairs of hands until she finally stood up on her own, the hands descending again. "Phew…" Jen muttered, sliding a hand over her face before taking in the scenery of the tunnel. "Wow… These guys had a _lot_ of time on their hands…" Jen said before stopping herself and walking up with the group. Taking note in how many hallways there were and where to start, "Well… this is obviously the place where the signals are coming from… Where do we go?" She asked, looking at the creepy statues and getting the same shudder of uneasiness as Lance before looking at Ditty and smiling- wishing she could pet his head if it weren't for the fact that she was afraid of offending the poor thing. "The answer there Jen, is easy to see… we've got to find out the control room that this is being operated from- and the room _that's _being operated from is most definitely guarded." Lance replied to his cousin, looking down the hall and trying to think of how to go about this as well. Before he could warn Jen to not step forward again, Jen went in front of the eerie statues- alarms and red lights going off, even the red eyes and pedestals that the statue was on were flashing, even though the statues seemed to be hissing instead. _Great… my bad…_ Lance facepalmed quickly, before going off ahead of the statues once he heard voices coming down the hall in front of them. "Come on, we've gotta get moving! Down this hallway, I'll hold them off. Just try to find out where the control room is- Jen call me on the PokeGear when you find it and a map if you can. I'll meet you guys there." Lance ordered, his Dragonite ready for the trainers coming their way. Before Jen could say anything back to argue, she decided to just nod as the voices got louder and louder, their footsteps now being heard from down the hall. The three kept going down the off hall that no one seemed to be in and ran into a small, empty computer room. This room seemed to have absolutely nothing but a bunch of dusty controls and buttons- even the mini-lounge on the opposite side of the room was dusty. Even though it seemed like a dead end, there was an obvious door right behind a small lamp table that had a small piece of paper on it. When the three were in the room, Jen locked the door with the bolt on it already before pulling up a chair to go up against it. "Ugh. This was all my fault…" Jen said frustrated as she made her way over to a chair at a glass table, having her forehead hit the glass once she sat down- mulling over her mistake. "Sorry you guys…" Jen apologized, still having her head down as she pondered over what she could do. _I need just a few moments to think…_

Zack, who was still slightly in shock from the alarms, let out a sigh of relief when the three reached the control room. After releasing Amp from his pokeball, he moved over next to Jen and stood looking down at her. "Well you couldn't have known that they were alarms. After all you're not psychic." He said, tapping his head with his index finger and giving his usual wink. He soon turned to the controls and nodded, "Well given the situation we're in, trying to overwrite something like a security code could prove to be a bit over our heads. Whatever the call, we're in this for the long run." He said, beginning to rummage through some of the papers on the tables, looking for answers.

"We've got a breach!" a grunt shouted in a room much further away as he stumbled before a figure in black, not much taller than the three themselves. A pound could be heard on the wall as the figure's fist impacted it, causing a shaggy haired Raichu next to him to jump and lower his ears. "Then I suggest you fix the problem...You wouldn't want Archer to find out would you?" The figure growled, causing the grunt to jump to his feet and salute. "No sir." He said as he stumbled out of the room as clumsily as he had entered. "Idiots..." The figure said, running a hand through his white hair and sighing, his pokemon letting out a small cry of sadness.

Misa actually didn't seem surprised by the alarm, though her two Pokemon jumped. The three ran silently behind the others, Dux covering his head and Ditty's ears back. The two Pokemon were happy to be in the control room, relaxing on the floor with a sigh. _Those statues were less than subtle… It was kind of obvious it was a trap. I can't really blame Jen, but… Hopefully that doesn't happen again. _She watched Zack mess with the papers in the room as Dux and Ditty were doing the same thing by peaking in every nook and cranny. Misa jumped slightly when she heard voices coming from somewhere outside the room. _Wonder who that is, hm… Should we just stay silent in here and hope they pass to be sneaky? Or should we try to spy on them… Huh, shouldn't I be saying this out loud? _She looked at the two again, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. _Why? Why is this happening to me? When I look at these two, I feel like… when I was little. Hopeless, weak… It feels like I'm miles behind and I'm too weak to speak up and ask them to slow down… But, I barely know these two, so why?_

Jen kept her forehead on the table, not really being comforted by Zack's words much. _Yeah, but it was so obvious that something was wrong with them… Sigh… Even if we all knew, wouldn't we have to go past that one anyway?_ She sighed, trying to get her emotions back under control as she suddenly felt like breaking down. _I should've been left behind, not Lance… It was my fault… Ugh, I just hope not a lot of people responded to the alarm. _After a moment or two when everyone heard the bang on the door- Jen started to bring her head up, trying to think about how long they all had before someone would start attempting to come into this room. She sighed then, starting to get up and walk over to the control panel. Then over to the door they didn't come in from, with another small sigh- she moved the table over a bit and opened the door to just get a small peek of what was going on. No one was really in this hallway either- if there were, it was a frantic grunt running back and forth. Seeming to pay no real attention to the slightly opened door- once he was out of sight, Jen closed it with a soft 'click' before leaning against the wall next to the door. _If we ever need to leave, this would have to be our exit- unless we find out how to turn the security off in here; hopefully Zack can find something on that paper. _"Dusknoir, I want you to go to that nearby room- the one where someone had banged on the wall. Just tell me what you see and quickly come back." Jen mumbled, her arms crossed and her eyes closed too- still thinking about her mistake as Dusknoir's shadow had left the room. "Zack… Do you see anything that might help out on the paper?" Jen asked, still trying her best to keep her cool and get her head on straight- trying to get ready for the battles coming up.

Zack shook his head with disappointment. "Nothing that seems to be able to give us any-" He said, cutting off before smacking a lone sheet in his right hand. "Answers!" He said with a victorious smile, as he moved over to the dust covered computers around the room. Occasionally looking down at the sheet he was holding, then back at the large machines, he carefully input commands, causing the alarms outside the room to shut down. He sighed with relief and turned to the girls, "One dead security system..." He said, grabbing on to another paper he set aside earlier, "And one layout map..." He said as he folded the paper up and shoved it in his pocket. "We should probably get moving, they'll know we're here after the alarms suddenly shut off..."

Meanwhile, in the other room, The figure's Raichu had become aware of the spy almost instantly, looking around the room. His ears twitched, and after fighting a quick battle within himself, he let his guard down, failing on purpose to alert his trainer.

Dux and Ditty seemed glad the alarm finally stopped, although Ditty seemed to be in pain a little again. It changed back into its normal form, feeling instantly better. Dux was poking the pink blob, as if that was going to help. Misa was looking in Jen's direction. It appeared that she was thinking about the dangers, or at least the villains, just outside the door.

"Well… Whatever we do, I think we should just hurry to what's causin' all of these Pokemon pain, and destroy it… The longer we stay her, the more chances we have of running into those bad guys, and there may be tough ones somewhere… And, the more time this takes, the more Pokemon that will be in pain like those in the lake. Who knows how long until we have another situation like that happen again…" It really just sounded like that she wanted to get out of there, and forget all of this happened.

Jen shrugged a little, still waiting on her Dusknoir to make his return back to the room. "I agree that we must keep going, but if we do find the room that's running the radio signal… What happens if it's locked somewhere else? Just because we turned the alarm and security system off doesn't mean we can open all the doors we want now…" Jen reasoned, wanting to try to keep the group together and ready. Despite the fact that the alarms were set off, the people scurrying in the halls seemed to be heading off in all other different directions. _There's gotta be more than one room in here that has all these controls… Since that room should be used more shouldn't it…? _Jen sighed a little, turning her attention over to Zack. "Do you know if there's another security room in here? Possibly the saying 'Executive's Office' or anything like that," Jen said, trying her best to not be pushy or anything. Pausing for a moment to think about how they'd make it past all the Rocket Grunts. "Uhm, maybe we should try to snag a Grunt and… get their uniform…? Or maybe get everyone to fall asleep who try to challenge us on the way to the room?" Jen asked, trying to plan everything out as she started to pace the room pausing when she looked down at her shadow to take note that Dusknoir's creepy smile was back on Jen's shadow again- showing that he was back with them, the fact made her smile slightly. _I guess it's not so bad that he's back so quickly… Makes me feel better…_

Zack took the map from his pocket and spread it out on the table, warily watching the door, as the sound of footsteps could often be heard right outside of it. Upon examining the map, he noticed a large room, wide in its dimensions and marked with six small lightning bolts,. Each of these markings was spaced a small distance from each other, three on one side of the room, and three on the other. Zack pointed to it and looked up at the two, "Well, whatever this area is, it seems to be an important source of electricty to be planned out like that..." He said, shrugging. "As for the uniform idea...Nabbing three of them would be way too hard." Looking at the door once more, he nodded,

"If we do manage to get a suit, how would we all get around?" He asked, not sure what to do, and worried as voices and footsteps could now be heard, getting louder with time. Zack looked down at his growling pokemon, the hair on it's body becoming as straight as pins. Zack quickly hid the map and alarm schematics in his pocket and looked at Jen. _Here we go..._

Jen looked over at Zack as well, trying to get herself ready as well. "When they come through the door, and push the table outta the way… Just stay out of any shadows on the ground… I'm gonna have Darkrai use Dark Void to put the guys to sleep… That should give all of us a good amount of time to try to get to another room…" Jen whispered stepping a few steps back away from the table and the door- her shadow seeming to stretch as she walked back. Almost as if the other people in the hallway were actors, they busted the door open- the table toppling over as they did, about a hand full of grunts rushed in. All of them being prepared to grab the trainers and take credit for the ambush, they were all generally quiet as far as catching people and holding them hostage goes. No one seemed they were about to run out of the room to go tell anyone of a higher rank that they had found the intruders or to ask for some help of other Grunts nearby. All of them had their basic, greedy, determined faces on- their true intent to not keep the plan safe, but to get some fame and possibly fortune for catching these trainers. _Hmph, they'll never win when they're all looking out for themselves… _Jen thought, staring back at a trainer that was about to go and grab her arm, "Dark Void, help out too Dusknoir." Jen ordered, taking another step back as her shadow changed. Her shadow's blue eyes started to glow brightly before turning into the same darkness from when the three trainers were heading over to Lake of Rage. The ghostly Pokémon's hands began to grab the grunts by their ankles and drag them into the darkness- several being too afraid to say a word while others screamed or shouted out for help, which caused them to get pulled under faster. Once all of the trainers were pulled in, the darkness faded away back to Jen's shadow- revealing the pile of Grunts on the ground that were all asleep. After a good glance down at the pile of guys and then at Zack, she sighed for a moment. _Zack, it's your turn- you have the map, lead the way. _Jen wanted to say the words, but felt it was a tad obvious and a little mean to just state freely.


	5. Lake of Rage Saga (Part 5)

Zack nodded, following Jen's command. After the grunts were incapacitated, He examined the map for a second and found the quickest route to the large room. "Alright, stick together." He said, looking outside the door for any stragglers. Zack Proceeded down the hall heading to the main corridor, leading the group a good distance before holding a hand behind him as a signal to wait. Peeking around a corner, he noticed that a grunt was on his way to back up to his recently downed comrades. Zack and Amp stood ready, waiting for the grunt to come around the corner, keeping a distance from Jen and Misa. Just as Zack gave the command to Amp, the grunt was tackled a good distance by a red blur. Zack inched around the corner to witness a pokemon standing atop it's victim.

It stood for a moment or two before dismounting and turning to face the trainers with a look of pure resentment. The pokemon had crimson red fur, and a collar and tail of yellow-white, along with a small amount on the top of it's head and long ears that resembled Amp's. The pokemon stood on four legs, staring down it's opponents and assessing the situation. After a few moments of glancing at Jen in specific, it turned with a sneer and began walking down the corridor from whence it came. Zack stared at the departing pokemon in awe, beginning to lead the group once more.

Misa followed closely behind the two, silently looking around whenever they stopped. She had to pick up Ditty, since it was having trouble keeping up and was a little too tired, and nervous, to change into something that could. Her heart was thumping a little from the rush and unknown every time they turned the corner, expecting someone appearing to stop them. Each empty hallway they found, or at least when the guards were already knocked out, she let out a soft sigh of relief. When they came across the man, before he got tackled, Misa gasped and looked at the other two trainers. She was happy the man got dispatched by the random Pokemon, but appeared rather uninterested in the Pokemon itself. Dux appeared to be getting a little nervous about the situation as a whole, and was standing close to Misa's right leg whenever she stopped.

The group continued on their way, always coming across guards that were sprawled out on the ground or just trying to flee the base. It wasn't long before they reached one of the places Zack had pointed out; being the one they hadn't really planned at stopping at first. Misa stopped them before a large double door that was closed, a faint buzzing coming behind it. "I know we planned on goin' to the office thing first, but… Shouldn't we figure out what we need to open this door with first, so we know what we're lookin' for?" she asked a little sheepishly. "We don't know if it's a key, or a password lock. I don't think anyone is gunna tell us if we ask 'em."

Jen was a bit surprised when she noticed that there were grunts on the floor, already subdued by someone else that wasn't the group. _Please let it be Lance... I hope he's okay..._ Jen seemed to get a little more anxious and worried at the thought, but also finding it slightly amusing if she had to save Lance. _Hehe, he'd be the damsel in distress. _Her thoughts stopped when she noticed the fire fox Pokemon- feeling like she knew the Pokemon from somewhere, but couldn't put her finger on it. Jen shook her head, hoping that she just imagined the Pokemon and stopped once they got to the generator door- stopping once Misa stopped. The doors were one of those super-heavy duty doors that could slide open and closed, to the right of the door. The door had a keypad with letters and numbers on it, above the screen on the keypad was a slot where a card key would go. "Sneak Punch Dusknoir," Jen ordered stepping back from the door so she wouldn't be in the way. Dusknoir would quickly rise up from Jen's shadow as he approached the door- his right fist glowing purple. The hit seemed pretty hard and dead on, but it didn't leave so much as a scratch on the solid doors. After a few more hits, Jen told the ghost Pokémon to stop- figuring the group would need to get the card key and the password. _Does this mean we'd need to split up and look…? No… Hopefully we'll just need the card key- the password might be on those papers… _Jen sighed, thinking of where at least one of those keys would be. "Want me to run and get to the office? I'm pretty sure at least one card key's there…" Jen offered, even though splitting up would be an awful idea. _I should go alone; the reason why everyone in this place knows that we're here is __**because**__of me… And I need to make up for that mistake._

Zack shook his head, "With what we just saw, I'm not sure splitting up would be the wisest choice of actions..." He said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "We can't afford to be reckless..." He continued, opening an eye to Jen, remembering the power of her and her pokemon. "But I trust your judgment completely. If you feel you can handle it...Then Amp, Misa and I will seek out the other key, wherever it may be..."

He said, opening both eyes now and giving a small smirk. _She can handle herself...But... _He thought, thinking about the pokemon's relentless focus on Jen. "Just promise me you'll avoid that Flareon." He said, staring into her eyes as Amp let out a cry of agreement. _Those eyes...They were full of pure hatred...But why?_ Upon hearing the news of a Flareon downing a grunt, the white haired figure became enraged. "He's become more trouble than he's worth..." He snarled, signaling for his Raichu to follow him as he left the room. With a bit of hesitation and a sigh, the pokemon followed orders. After walking a short distance, the two met up with the downed grunt. With a swift kick to the side, the grunt was awoken from his shocked state, holding the right side of his neck. Under his hand, a mark of a bite, along with seared skin could be seen. The figure scoffed as the grunt stood, his Raichu showing little sympathy as well. After interrogating the grunt for what he could remember, the figure and his pokemon began to head in the direction of where one of the passwords was entrusted. "I'll head them off myself...Worthless fools..." He muttered as his Raichu followed, his ears lowered.

Dux started to poke the door with his leek, for no real reason other than wishing that would open it. Ditty sighed as it watched its friend, kind of wondering if it could slip through the gap under the door, even though there actually wasn't any. Misa was staring at the input panels that were used to open the door. She wished that they didn't actually have to go find the passwords. _Why can't that Lance guy just show up now and magically have the things for us… The longer I stand in here, the more unsettled I feel. _When Zack started talking, Misa looked over at him. She personally didn't want to be split up with him, but figured it wasn't worth making things more complicated to say so. "What ever is best, and the quickest, I'll go along with it. I have a feeling most of the grunts won't be much of a problem, even for me. If one Flareon can take them down, then well… I'm pretty sure anyone can. The only thing we'd have to be careful of is like, commander guys or bosses. They'd probably actually be dangerous."

Jen nodded once at Misa's statement, thinking that battling almost identical people constantly would get on her nerves- but she did feel intrigued with battling anyone that was higher in the ranks. Jen shook her head for a moment, thinking of herself being really silly for not giving them her number in the first place before heading down the hall. _Hopefully they call me about something important and not about how special their Rattata is… _Jen sighed a little at the thought before rushing down the hall, going down a different hall whenever she heard noise and going down the staircases whenever she saw one. _There were a lot of grunts on the first floor; maybe the important stuff is deep in here… _After another flight of stairs, Jen paused- her gut telling her to stop for a moment. With a slight sigh, Jen started to quickly shift through the berries again- waiting for Darkrai's hand to reach out and grab it before going back under. After a deep, calming breath, Jen redid her ponytail in her hair before continuing to walk down the quiet, deserted corridor. All she could hear as she walked was her footsteps echoing in the hall- her reflection in the black, clear floor seeming to be the only other person on the ground level for what seemed like forever as she walked to possibly another trap or an interesting match. _If I get lucky, then I'll be the only one in that room…_ Jen paused a moment, starting to feel like someone was in earshot now. _No… Nothings ever that easy in my life… Hmph, let's get this over with. I need to find Lance and find out how to open that stupid door._

Noticing that there was another presence approaching, the Raichu's ears perked up and he began sniffing the air. After catching the scent of a familiar female, he drew back in shock and dismay. The figure gave a smirk, watching his Pokémon intently. "Looks like they decided to show..." He muttered to himself. _Let's have some fun, hm? _He said, with a twisted look on his face. However, upon Jen's arrival into the room, the look fled and was replaced with one of rage. _Of course...!_ He thought, keeping his posture, as not to show any emotion. _Whatever...This ought to be interesting at best..._ He thought, looking at Jen fiercely, as if to look through her. No words left his lips as he gazed, crossing his arms. The Raichu was overjoyed at the girl's arrival, but didn't show it, in fear of his trainer's disapproval. Instead, the Pokémon's tail just swayed back and forth, knowing he would most likely have to battle his old friend. _Never a dull moment with her...That's for sure... _The figure thought as an awkward silence filled the room.

( /watch?v=YsG80RGxzNM )

Once Jen walked into the room and saw the figure, she felt her body freeze- her face showing utter shock before attempting to regain her composure. Her shadow stood still, despite how badly the Pokémon lurking there wanted to jump out. Jen brushed her hand through her bangs a moment before taking a few more steps into the large room. There were desks, computers, and generators across most of the walls of the room; there was even a small bird cage in the upper left corner of the room, holding a sleeping Murkrow in there. "Hm… So… You decided to join Team Rocket…?" Jen asked, crossing her arms and leaning forward a little- her face both being disbelieving, disappointed, and a tad sarcastic before standing straight and being dead serious. _Of course! WHY?! Sigh… Seriously, this is someone's form of a sick, twisted joke around here… God… Someone kill me. I really don't want to do this anymore. _Jen sighed a little, looking down at the Raichu with a slight smile for a moment- missing the little guy from traveling around. _At least someone misses me…_

The figure glared at Jen, the bangs of his medium length white hair covering one of his deep blue eyes, while on the other side his hair was a bit messier than the rest. He wore a pair of black jeans and a black shirt with a large letter R on it, typical of a member of Team Rocket. Noticing Jen's expression, he scowled, _Don't you dare give me that look...You have no right..._ He thought angrily, reaching for his belt and grabbing a pokeball with a black top, before tossing it between them. The standard white light shined before them, taking the shape of a blue lion-like pokemon, bearing black fur in areas on his body, and forming a mane of upward spikes on his head. With piercing red and yellow eyes, the pokemon glared at his opponent with a look of both confusion, and indifference. The figure returned the pokeball to his belt and crossed his arms. _Not after him...Not after that day... _He thought with a sneer, images running through his mind. The pokemon in the middle of the room seemed almost to be perfectly in sync with his trainer, as a look of rage reflected from his gleaming eyes. The pokemon wagged its star-tipped tail back and forth slowly, anticipating the next move of the trainer his eyes were set on.

Jen hesitated for a few long moments, some of the reality of what was hitting her slowly gnawing at her. She sighed, looking away for a moment to try and hold back some of the drowning depression swallowing her. _Ugh, I feel like crying… Why? Why do you have to do this too…? _Jen closed her eyes a moment, before opening again at the now agitated lion, before the lion jumped at Jen to attack her anyway- not wanting to wait on her petty emotions any longer. Jen didn't move or even falter, her eyes just looked and watched the leaping electric type while her shadow did the movements. The eerie smile was set in an angered frown as it stretched toward the Luxray, Dusknoir's two hands reached out and grabbed the lion's hind legs before he could even reach Jen- slamming the Pokémon to the ground with a thud and allowing Jen to take a few steps away before the battle could continue. After a quick glance up at his trainer, Dusknoir set his focus back completely on the electric type. _I can't believe it… Ugh, that makes me feel so sick in my stomach… _"Dusknoir, Shadow Sneak now." Jen ordered quickly once she could get her lips to move, figuring that the less time Dusknoir has to hold the electric type down the better.

Ecco grinned, despite the pain he felt for his pokemon. _I wouldn't have expected any less Jen..._ He thought as he snapped into reality. _I never planned for you to see any of this..._ He sighed, his mind burning with images of her and another, embracing one another. _But I refuse to ever be that powerless again..._ "Shadow...Use Discharge now and get out of there!" He commanded, his pokemon obeying with a surge of visible electricity emanating from his body in an attempt to cause the ghost pokemon to lose its grip.

Dusknoir had let go of the Pokémon as the attack was ordered, quickly sinking back into the shadows as he was hit by the electrical attack. After a moment or two the shadow of the Pokémon had its smile and eyes that were similar of its stomach glaring over at Shadow as it awaited his trainer's next move. Meanwhile, Darkrai's own gleaming, sapphire eyes had appeared in Jen's shadow- wanting to watch the match and his trainer better. Jen closed her eyes and sighed a moment. _This is so pointless…_ _We're only going to hurt each other and making our Pokémon get involved…_ "Dusknoir, use Will-O-Wisp, then Shadow Punch when you get the chance," She ordered, opening her eyes again as she looked out to see the small, purple embers appear from Dusknoir's shadow and surround the Luxray, encircling him and spin around him. After what seemed like one short moment, the wisps started to jump for the Luxray- some staying in their spots as they waited for Shadow to avoid the other embers and strike him then.

After freeing himself from the grasp of the ghost pokemon, Shadow took a second to shake off the pain from the previous blow while awaiting his trainer's next order. The figure had a pained look on his face now, his emotions clouding his mind. _I don't even care what happens to these Rocket idiots...Why am I still fighting? _ He thought, grasping his head, as images of the two trainer's time together was suddenly replaced with the image of a man, smirking at him. _Him..._ He growled as he looked up to see the embers surrounding Shadow. _Everything was fine until that fool showed up...Until that day in the center...I'll never forgive him-! _"Shadow! Now, charge straight through the embers and latch onto it's hand with a crunch!" He ordered, now clutching his chest and sweating a bit. The pokemon responded to his trainer's command without hesitation, and charged through the purple flames, despite the burning feeling he received. The peircing eyes of the lion pokemon gave off a bright glow as he focused on the shadow where the ghost pokemon lay. After seeing an opportunity, he dove after the approaching arm, aiming to latch on to it and deliver a ferocious bite

Once Dusknoir got bit by Shadow, he quickly resisted the urge to withdraw completely- at least not yet… He quickly got his free hand ready as he started to rise from the shadows, his free hand emanating an eerie purple like the embers before giving the electric Pokémon a blow to the side of the face. When Shadow still held on, Dusknoir awaited for another command from Jen- not wanting such an opportune moment to go to waste. Jen noticed this after a bit before shouting out the next move, "Use Fire Punch Dusknoir! Then go back under again." Jen watched a bit worriedly, shaking her head a little as she watched her Pokémon stifle through the pain. _The burns on Shadow should make the blow to Dusknoir a lot less severe… I just hope I'm right. _As her thoughts came to an end, Dusnkoir's hand had begun to glow a faint black- quickly being swallowed up by a black eerie fire. Then punching the electric type once more…

Shadow took the hit with a wince, seeming to clamp his teeth down harder and scratching the arm he was gripping. Opening his eyes once more, the lion pokemon focused on the incoming fist, bracing for the hit. Upon impact, he was forced off of the pokemon's arm and sent flying before landing on the ground with a thud. The trainer watched with anger as his pokemon struggled to get back up, before becoming limp and hitting the ground. His trainer, eyes filled with remorse, held out the pokemon's pokeball to return his companion. After this, he knelt down and clutched his chest once more, breathing heavily. _This isn't what I wanted! I never wanted to see either of them again..._ He thought, a drop of sweat hitting the floor beneath him. Hesitantly, his hand reached for a pokeball on his belt before failing and dropping back down to support him. _I don't care anymore...He wanted her so bad...He can have her...Get out of my life!_

Jen felt a little relieved when she saw Shadow had finally been dealt with, once the match was over- she pulled off two Pokeballs really quickly. One Dusk Ball and one beaten up, old Pokeball. Before she returned Dusknoir back to his Dusk Ball, she felt herself freeze as she saw her Pokémon's gaze go over to Ecco. A frown was set on Jen's face as she put her Pokeball back, her eyes felt a little teary but she suppressed the thought of bawling her eyes out in the middle of Team Rocket's hide out. She sighed heavily, finally returning Dusknoir with a whispered 'thank you' and putting the Pokeball on her belt. "Why… Why did you do it…?" Jen finally managed to ask, pulling out one of the few questions she had running around in her mind. _Why you too? Do I really cause people to make such a bad decision!? To hurt Pokémon?! …Why…? _Jen let out a long, shaky sigh before taking a few steps forward and pausing. "It means nothing to be a Pokémon Trainer anymore…" She muttered, thinking about all the hurt this organization had already caused to the Pokémon in Lake of Rage and going on right now. _You and Ceres are one in the same… And you know it…_

The trainer's eyes snapped open, and in a quick motion he attempted to get up. "Get...Away..." He said, struggling to his feet. Reaching for his belt once more, he removed a pokeball with yellow and red bands of color decorating the top, and proceeded to back away from Jen, clutching it tightly. He tossed it in front of him to reveal once more the large bird that was seen by the Lake of Rage, who proceeded to let out a shrill cry before setting his sights on the young female. The pokemon began to flap it's wings lightly, making a gust to knock Jen back and away from his trainer, who was standing motionless against the wall. Turning his glance towards Jen, the trainer caught a glimpse of a few stray tears, causing him to shake his head, clutching it with his right hand.

Jen groaned when she got knocked over by the large bird, hurting the back of her head in the process- but struggled to get back onto her feet before the bird could attack her too. Jen glanced back down at her shadow and realized that Darkrai's watching eyes disappeared a moment after she looked at him- obviously not wanting to really get involved in this emotional battle. "Fine…" Jen muttered, sighing a bit before grabbing a Pokeball off her belt. Before she could even toss this Pokeball out onto the field, another Pokeball on her belt opened up instead for the match. In which, she face-palmed when she heard her Pokémon's cries behind it- a Nidoking. Despite the interesting type match-ups, the Ground type seemed ready as ever to take on the large bird. "Nidoking, use Stone Edge and try to get 'im pinned." Jen ordered, the Pokémon snorted a bit and gave Jen a backwards glance like a, "I'm not stupid look" before facing back and letting out a roar. Slamming his tail into the ground fiercely as the ground began to shake- making the flooring crack and point upwards around the flying type before jutting out of the ground quickly. "Start using Ice Beam when you get the chance," Jen added, the extra meaning to it hanging in the air easily- instead Nidoking just watched, thinking that the bird wouldn't last long.

The trainer looked up to see his pokemon defending him as he began snapping back into reality. Upon the arrival of the new pokemon onto the field, the large bird let out a cry, challenging his opponent. "Mach, fly up and avoid the flooring!" The trainer shouted, moving closer to his pokemon. In response to both the Nidoking's action and his trainer's command, the large bird flapped it's wings at the ground, boosting itself up and creating a large gust throughout the room. After rising a considerable height, the pokemon glanced at it's opponent for a moment before his trainer's voice called out again, "Now! Use double team and then get ready for a sky attack!" No sooner had the command been issued than the pokemon had begun to fly in circles with intense speed, creating a mass of illusionary copies. After a moment, the copies could be seen gazing restlessly at the opponent, seeking out a weak point, locking onto it, and diving toward it with blinding speed. All the while, the trainer's Raichu looked from side to side with his ears down, not sure who to root for.

Nidoking repeatedly turned around, trying his best to keep an eye on the real Mach to no avail. He even tried to use Ice Beam several times, only to hit the ceiling and the walls of the room. Before he could try a different move or at least hear his trainer's orders- Nidoking was struck by Mach, causing the poison type to slide across the ground. In doing so, Nidoking tried his best to get one of his horns to pierce Mach's skin- only to have no success. Jen sighed then, hanging her head slightly as this was a poor attempt on Nidoking's part. With an eye roll, she attempted to finally get through to the Pokémon. "I _know_ you can do this Nidoking, but in order to do so- we gotta work together! So listen to me! Use Poison Jab and Ice Punch for when Mach gets near you," Jen ordered, then looked down at her shadow to see the eyes there- looking up from the match to peer curiously back up at her. "Go find the alarm system and set it off, we need to get Mach to slow down and a chance for Nidoking to speed up." Jen stated firmly, obviously not wanting to deal with Darkrai's disobedience either. Although, Darkrai seemed to sense this in her voice- the blue eyes showing a hint of respect before they disappeared and their two shadows separated. Jen looked back up at the match, Nidoking's left hand glowing a nasty purple while his right was slowly becoming a bright blue- even sparkling in some spots when the room's light caught it. Nidokind stared down his opponent, his tail swinging back and forth agitatedly- sometimes hitting the floor hard and causing more damage to the flooring.

Upon hitting the Nidoking, Mach let out a screech of victory before setting his sights on the pokemon's shining hand. The trainer scowled, catching a glimpse of this as well, shouting a new order. "Mach, keep your distance from Nidoking! Get back, then use Air Cutter!" The bird responded, beginning to flap his wings violently, both gaining distance and whipping razor sharp winds. The gusts proceeded to slice everything in their path, overtaking everyone in front of Mach. Just as the bird began to relax, a ringing could be heard, followed by the falling of water shot out by a sprinkler system. The trainer looked up in surprise, and then back down at his pokemon, who was attempting to rid of the water from his feathers. _What idiot set off the alarm?! Now this room is sure to be checked. As if this battle wasn't irritating enough... _He thought, slick snow white hair now hanging in his face. The trainer's Raichu simply shook his head in disapproval, having overheard Jen's plan when it was being put into play.

Nidoking kept his eyes on Mach as he moved away and began his attack, instead of waiting for his trainer's next move- the poison type used his arms to block most of what he could of the attack. When the sprinkles went off and started to wet everyone and everything, Nidoking seemed to have been the only not drenched in the down pouring water. The water quickly started to freeze on his body when it made contact, Nidoking grunted a little when he realized this- being a bit annoyed that he had to keep his body moving in order to break the then pieces of ice off. "Nidoking, use Ice Beam on Mach once you get the chance! If he's close enough, use Poison Jab," Jen ordered, hoping that Nidoking would be able to take the bird Pokémon down. Once the alarms began to stop, Jen glanced around to look for Darkrai to tell him his next job if he was up to it. Meanwhile, Nidoking slammed his tail down to the ground once more before opening his mouth and allowing a bright, icy blue beam come out- trying his best to hit Mach, sometimes not even sure if he did manage to hit his target. Whenever he did miss, ice would appear on the walls and sometimes on the ceiling. With the battle going on and the fire alarms going off, the Murkrow in the cage had woken up- cawing at the trainers and the Pokémon, seeming more annoyed that his nap had been interrupted in the first place and a little worried when ever Nidoking was aiming anywhere near the Murkrow.

The trainer scowled, flinging his wet hair aside and getting a good look at the situation. After glaring at the frozen patches around the room, his face changed immediately. "Mach fly up close to the sprinkler system!" He shouted, watching his pokemon struggle to fly up with the additional weight of the water. With the Nidoking firing almost constantly, patches were formed along the ceiling, and ultimately on the sprinklers, stopping the water from flowing out. After dodging for a good amount of time, the large bird fell to the ground, exhausted from being weighed down. The trainer scowled once more, "Mach, shake it off!" He shouted, clenching his fist tightly as the Nidoking's mouth began to glow brightly once more. When Mach didn't respond, the Raichu's ears went back and his cheeks sparked before shooting a tiny bolt at the large poison type, just enough to throw him off balance and stop the attack.

Once the attack on Nidoking ended, he quickly shook the attack off and appeared to have no damage to him- unfortunately, the Raichu's plan worked. Nidoking's attack had been cut off by the unfair double team. After a moment of stalling Nidoking turned his attention back to just focusing on the bird Pokémon, missing and freezing the wet floor as he did. Nidoking became frustrated by this and had to resist the urge of running over to the electric mouse and attack him instead. "Nidoking, focus- use Ice Beam again, be ready with your own electrical attack too." Jen said, looking at her Nidoking before over at Ecco. "Let's keep this a one-on-one match, unless you wanna make it a two-on-two." Jen added, frowning- the statement more aimed at Zapcannon than Ecco, not wanting to battle Zapcannon as he seemed a bit conflicted over the two trainers. To Jen's dismay, Nidoking didn't listen to her orders- he just kept firing Ice Beam after Ice Beam at his moving target. As Jen looked on, she face-palmed, moaning out a "Why…?" at the maneuver.

Ecco looked away, a bit upset with his long time partner's unexpected interference and unaware of the reasoning behind it. The mouse pokemon simply bared its teeth at the female trainer, very upset with her, showing no remorse and letting out a few "Rai"'s, as if to yell its opinion. Ecco simply let out a "Hmph..." at Jen's comment, turning his gaze towards his recovered bird pokemon, who was holding up well now. "Mach, use Agility to get close and follow up with a Gust, and don't let up." With several darts, the large bird began to get closer and closer to the large pokemon, before appearing right in front of it and flapping its wings with tremendous power. The gusts whipped through the room, making an eerie howl as the bird flapped harder with each passing second in an attempt to blow the large pokemon off of its feet. Ecco smirked to himself, taking advantage of the fortune he had received when Nidoking ignored its trainer.

Jen still had her hand covering her face for a little while, hating herself as well from the tone of the "Rai's" that the Raichu called out- feeling as if she understood what each "Rai" meant. After a long, heavy sigh and the wing beginning to seriously pick up- she set her focus back on Nidoking and the rest of the match. "Nidoking, use Stone Edge as a wind barrier!" Jen shouted out, hoping that he would at least listen to her for a _whole _match. _But of course, that'll never happen with Nidoking or Darkrai…_ As the winds continued to pick up and Nidoking began to lose his footing, he grunted angrily before slamming his heavy tail onto the ground, frustrated- then finally followed Jen's orders as the floor began to jut out. Four triangular slabs of rock rose from the ground, creating a tent from the harsh wind. _Okay… Now what…? _Jen sighed, trying to think of what to do next. "Just have Poison Jab ready Nidoking!" Jen called out, still trying to think.

As the stone barrier went up, Ecco sighed, then took but a few moments to think before calling out new orders. "Mach, I want you to hit it with your strongest Air Cutter." He said simply before watching his large pokemon back away a good distance, flapping his wings with more ferocity each time. By the time the bird pokemon had reached the corner of the room, large waves of razor-sharp air were being driven into the opponent's stone tent, cutting off segments and wearing away other areas at a fair pace. After a good amount of time and effort, Ecco intervened, "Good...Now send a gust through the holes bring the walls down from the inside." The trainer said monotonously, a now emotionless gaze filling his eyes. As he commanded, the bird flew above the stone barricade, where an opening had been revealed by the previous attack. Without wasting any time, and keeping a fair amount of distance between himself and his opponent, the bird began to send powerful bursts of air into the Nidoking's hiding spot, attempting to blow the walls out.

Jen sighed as she watched Mach's attacks, thinking that the match could've gone a lot better if Nidoking listened to her a little more. Nidoking's walls shortly came down after the attack, clearly damaged from the attack. Nidoking let out an aggravated cry before using Ice Beam again on the target without his trainer's command. After a few moments, Jen grabbed his Pokeball and returned him seeing no point in the futile attempt anymore. She glanced at her shadow, Darkrai's intimidating blue eyes rolled up at her before fading- clearly disappointed and not wanting to get involved in the match. _Fine… Hopefully this goes a lot better…_ Jen took off the old, beaten up Pokeball on her necklace and released the Pokémon onto the field- the playful battle cry of her Dragonite echoing through the room. Hearing her Pokémon made her smile before her face went straight out serious. "Use Extremespeed, then go into a Dragon Claw!" Jen ordered, feeling a lot more confident now with her Dragonite out. Dragonite cried out again, determined this battle- not so much of focusing on the opposing trainer than his bird Pokémon. With a few flaps of his wings, Dragonite was racing towards the bird Pokémon. The dragon Pokémon's claws were glowing a bloody red to get ready for his attack.

A small growl escaped the boy's throat as he wiped remaining moisture from his forehead and locked his cold stare on the dragon pokemon. "Mach, I want you to keep up with him! Throw it into high gear, and you know what to do from there!" For a short time, the two pokemon could barely be seen, with movements that carried them out of the sight of the naked eye. _Hang in there...We've done this drill for just such an occasion...Using the opponent's own move...and even their own weakness against them... _After a few moments, Mach emerged high above the trainers panting with fatigue, and staring around the room. Using the keen eyesight of a Pidgeot, he was able to locate his opponent, and awaited the order from his trainer. "Focus Mach..." Ecco muttered, clenching his fist tightly before yelling the command. "Now, use Mirror Move and charge him with his own Dragon Claw!" The large bird responded, beginning to glow white for a short while, then sending a gust behind him, leaving naught but a few feathers behind him. With the burst of wind launching him forward, Mach spread his wings, the tips shining brightly with a brilliant crimson hue.

"Rush it!" Jen shouted, once she heard Ecco's command. _And if it kills the bird, then fine… A Pidgeot can't take down a Dragonite, and being a copycat won't save it either. _Dragonite's whole body began to glow a deep scarlet red, his claws still being a different color from his previous move. The dragon Pokémon flying at the bird Pokémon as fast as it could in the few moments it had. There was loud friction between the two Pokémon when they made contact and flew past each other. It took Dragonite a few moments, but he appeared fine, roughed up a bit- but fine enough to continue battling. The dragon Pokémon turned around to face the bird Pokémon, letting out a small "Aroo" at it. _Good, thanks Dragonite… But you've got more work ahead of you…_ _So stay ready there…_ Jen seemed like she was getting ready to issue a command, but decides not to as she wanted to wait for a good time for Dragonite to perform it.

After the clash, the bird landed on the ground, losing his balance momentarily but overall not severely injured. Ecco nodded, and held out the pokeball that had been used to send Mach out into battle. "You've done what you could..." He stated, as a red beam shot out, withdrawing the pokemon. The trainer looked down, shutting his eyes for a moment. He reached for the next ball on his belt, and tossed it onto the field. The white flash took the shape of a large dragon, standing on all fours, and it proceeded to let out a deafening roar that shook the hideout. The white began to fade and the vivid colors of the dragon could be seen. It bore a blue body with a white underside, with a long thrashing tail. Ecco's face remained emotionless, as he ordered his pokemon. "Give it a Dragon Claw..." He said coldly as the dragon flapped it's crimson colored wings, shooting towards it's target with an open mouth a bright claws.

The trainer sighed upon seeing Mach switched back out of battle, more so when the rat with wings wasn't as damaged as he should have. _Quite annoying when a Pokemon manages to get off the hook for no reason... the bird should've had his wings clipped._ Jen cocked her head to the side, finding the blue dragon not so intimidating. She gave a shrug before issuing her next order. "Dragonite, Extremespeed and use Ice Punch. Show 'em who the real dragon is."

Upon seeing the fist of the oncoming dragon light up blue, Ecco sneered. "Abort the attack and get behind it!" He shouted, as the blue Dragon's claws lost their glow and a low roar was heard as he did a barrel roll to avoid the attack, being glanced on the shoulder by the frosty fist of the opposing Dragon. A pained roar bellowed from the turquoise dragon as it spiraled towards the ground. Without a second to spare, the beast flapped it's wings, slowing it's decent and raising dust clouds before landing on all fours with a crash. Ecco scoffed, shutting his eyes and looking to the side. The wounded dragon now stood with it's mouth agape, eyeing the Dragonite with a passionate rage. Ecco turned his gaze towards the battle once more and scowled, "Wing, give it a strong Leer...Stare it down...Then fill this room with a Dragon Pulse." He said, crossing his arms and waiting for the attacks to commence.


	6. Rocket Saga (Part 1)

Jen scoffed at the order Ecco growled out, finding it absurd when he would be hurt by his own Pokemon's attack. "Cut him off with Stone Edge!" She called out, hoping she wasn't going to regret the decision. After all, why should she? She's been with dragons her whole life, including the blue beast before her... would this give her the edge she needed? Meanwhile, Dragonite landed on the ground with force. Causing the floor to crack and split as it lead to Ecco's Salamence- slabs of rock jolting out of the ground.

The large blue dragon's eyes never left his opponent, as he began to lift up onto his hind legs. Once fully upright, he brought his front end back down with a force similar to his foe's previous endeavor. A crack where the floor was met by the beast's smashing blow soon developed into a crevice and tore across the room towards the approaching attack. The two quakes met towards the middle of the room, forming a jutting mound of ruined floor. Debris clouds filled the room and little could be seen, other than the menacing glare of the blue dragon's shining eyes peering through, seeking out his opponent once more. Moments past and the dust began to clear, revealing the now tired beast's whole figure, his eyes finally achieving a clean lock on their target. Taking in strained breaths, growls could be heard building deep in the throat of the dragon as he began to lift his head back slowly.

Each growl began to get progressively louder before finally, the beast whipped it's head forward and sent forth a bellow that tore through the room towards Dragonite, before bouncing off the opposite wall and filling the rest of the area. The tremendous force of the roar sent pieces of shattered tile bounding off walls and into the air. The roaring beast's expression became more and more pained with each passing moment, as his trainer watched, holding his ears and leaning away from the roar.

The female trainer began covering her ears while the blue winged beast roared. Her eyes fixed on the jutted out stone in the middle of their playing grounds. Awestruck at how his dragon managed to evenly match Dragonite's attack. Moreover, the thought of her hard trained Pokemon, a Pokemon that she started her journey with and ultimately depended on during rough times... the thought of that Pokemon losing in a time so dire, it was frightening. More so with the thought of Darkrai lurking in the shadows, still waiting to see his new trainer prove herself... I can't even seem to manage something as that... On the other hand, while the trainer drowned herself in worries, her Dragonite continued to stare his opponent down; not flinching from his opponent's roar. When no attack was given by the blue dragon, Dragonite drifted over to be closer to Jen. Trying to provide some form of comfort and protection if she didn't give an order in time. The trainer hesitated about continuing the battle, contemplating withdrawal as to save Dragonite for the heads of Team Rocket. The trainer shook her head at the thought before looking at her partner and their opponent's. "Let's give this another go, Dragonite," Jen began, trying to feel a bit more confident in herself and her Pokemon. "Fly in there with Extremespeed, and try your best to land an Ice Punch on 'im." The Dragonite nodded with a small "Aroo" before his claws began to glow an icy blue, and taking off for Ecco's Salamence.

Upon witnessing the beginning of a counterattack, the bellowing beast halted his attack and prepared for a new order of his own. Meanwhile, the white haired youth turned back towards the battle, uncovering his ears and scowling. "Wing, on your toes!" He shouted, thinking of a way to both counter the incoming pokemon, and avoid a lethal strike at the same time. I need to wait for just the right moment... He stood motionless, as the large blue dragon braced itself for whatever came next. Just when it seemed that the attack was going to be met without resistance, Ecco threw a hand back and yelled, "NOW! Cut to the inside, and meet him with a Dragon Rush to the Chest!" The trainer waited nervously as his pokemon darted towards it's attacker.

There wasn't enough time for the Dragonite to counter Wing's attack. Ending up with a direct attack from Wing's Dragon Rush... but not without the ice from his claws creeping onto his opponent. Regardless, Dragonite landed with a thud- trying his best to stay in the game.Come on, Dragonite... Hang in there... Unexpectedly, Jen's PokeGear had vibrated with a message. She quickly whipped it out, checking to see if it was urgent or if the message could wait. The message was from Lance, requesting Jen to meet up with him and the others in the main part of the base. "We have to go... but how?" Jen whispered, trying to think of their next move. With that, her shadow on the ground wavered with Darkrai crawling out to observe the match. And... I'm being judged again, great, wonderful... "Dragonite, fly back here and use Roost, you need time to heal!"

While the large blue dragon's right wing took most of the damage, it sent him to the ground with a roar that shook the room. Ecco watched as his fallen comrade struggled to get up, thinking of anything that could be done. This is it...It ends here... He thought, running a hand through his hair. As the beast finally got to it's feet, it began to flap it's wounded appendage, in a hope to thaw the ice as quick as possible. The youth stared with a determined glare as his lips began to form an final order, "Wing...Give it all you've got...Don't let him recover! Charge it with a Giga Impact!" He yelled, clenching one fist and pointing to the recovering Dragonite.

This is it... Does it really have to end here? Jen looked on, frozen in place. Her dragon trying his best to fly back over to her while the opponent began his pursuit. The moments leading up to the, sure to be, final blow seemed slower to her; the fear for her Pokemon betraying her face. Being frozen in place, the trainer was unaware of being in the path of the fray. Without her realizing, the nightmare Pokemon sped off toward her, removing her from the battle zone to a safer spot; dropping her half-hazardly. By the time Jen could refocus on the two dragons, Dragonite was on the ground writhing in pain, giving a yelp of pain. The female trainer was frozen in place, the thought of her Dragonite being in this painful state and losing the match. After a few moments, Jen rushed over to her Pokemon's side. Once there, she began caressing the Pokemon's head, hesitating at first until it seemed to soothe the Pokemon a bit. "I am so sorry, Dragonite..." She whispered with tears rolling off her cheek. Meanwhile, Darkrai hovered off, over watching his trainer with a sort of reluctance- sometimes even looking over at the opponent incase if something had to be done.

(  watch/?v=1BNzfBDQPjU&amp;list=PLFAE4F44C043C0B52&amp;index=105&amp;feature=plpp_video )

From the opposite side of the room, a red beam of light could be seen targeting Salamence, quickly retreating him to his pokeball. Ecco stood for a moment, his hand still extended, unable to process much at the moment. After a time, he returned the ball to his belt and stared at the trainer and her felled companion. With a blank stare, he began to approach her, taking one step at a time.

The female trainer didn't turn to the opposing trainer, despite the echoing of his steps drowning out her sobs and claims of reassurance to her downed Pokemon. The nightmare Pokemon continued to watch the scene between his trainer and the dragon Pokemon. It was hard to see, but the legendary Pokemon's hardened attitude seemed to be melting away. Probably from the dragon's reaction to his trainer. When Ecco began walking toward the group, Darkrai turned around to inspect the winner; from both curiosity of the winner's intentions and another feeling... a feeling that this lone, nightmare Pokemon hadn't felt before. After a number of steps, the female trainer raised her head from her dragon, not daring to turn her head to Ecco. Her face reflected how she felt, broken. "What do you want?" She asked, caressing the head of her dragon; wishing she could be of more comfort.

Without a word, he approached, staring down at her. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small vial filled with an amber colored liquid. "Give this to him…" He said, placing it on the ground next to her. The sounds of many footsteps and frantic yelling could be heard as the remaining Rocket members closed in on the room. "Look…You need to get out of here...If they find you…" His speech drifted as he turned towards the door. "Just go…I'll stall them…" He began to walk towards the commotion,

The trainer stared down at the small vial, looking at it with a sense of confusion and disgust. The thought of tossing the vial back at him even crossed her mind, but she couldn't even get herself to touch it. "Why are you doing this? Is this just all apart of your plan? Poison us?" She inquired, her voice rising as she continued. Jen paused to look down at her Dragonite, grimacing in pain. "Whose side are you on?"

His footsteps halted, and he stood with his back turned to Jen. "Do you even think before you speak…? If I wanted to poison you, do you think I would have just given it to you?" He stood for a few more moments before sighing, "Fine, don't trust me." He said as he continued walking, stopping only for a moment to whisper a command to his Raichu, who responded with a nod before springing over to Jen. _"_Oh, and as for whose side I'm on… The answer is neither." He said, holding one hand in the air casually

Jen pursed her lips, longing to pick a fight with him. Of course she thought before she spoke, does he even try to think about what is said to him? Does _he_ think before acting? The trainer waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps before rummaging through her bag; taking out herbs and a marker. She gave one of the herbs to her Dragonite to relieve his pain, the other two were put aside as she returned the dragon to his Pokeball. Jen continued through, releasing her Nidoking and Dusknoir from their Pokeballs; feeding the two herbs as well before returning them once more. Once her Pokemon were taken care of, Jen picked up the vial, hesitating a moment, before drawing an X on the vial with the marker and placing both into her bag. The trainer wiped off a few of her stray tears, sniffing every so often before turning over to Darkrai. The thought of how pathetic she may appear before the legendary Pokemon had crossed her mind a few times, but in the end, the Pokemon would have to deal with his trainer, his partner, for the given situation. "Where should we do now?"

watch?v=bITrS-GQjAw (FFVII Shinra Theme)

Upon walking through the double doors on the opposite side of the room, Ecco was met with a crowd of Rocket Members and their pokemon, which consisted mainly of Persians, Ratticates, Crobats, and the occasional Geodudes. Not expecting this many troops, the trainer drew back slightly, his back to the door. He regained his composure quickly and stood straight, "What are you all doing away from your posts? I've got things covered here so just get ba—" Before he could finish his command, the crowd parted to reveal a man in a white suit and dark teal hair stepping forth. He was accompanied by a pokemon that resembled a large black dog, horns sprouting from his head, and horizontal stripes of bone-esque material lining his back. The pokemon growled at Ecco, his trainer seeming not the least bit amused. Ecco brought up his right hand to a salute, "Archer, sir." He said as the man stood directly in front of him. "I met with a girl who was leading the resistance attack. I fought her off, but she fled before I could capture her." He continued, not letting his hand leave it's position. The man's face remained motionless, as a purple ghost like pokemon appeared by his shoulder. "Funny, because I've heard from someone else…" The purple ghost grinned, "…That you let her go." He said with a sneer. The trainer gnashed his teeth stared at the man. _It's no good, he knows… _"So are you going to explain yourself Ecco…?" When the trainer remained silent, the man let out a deep sigh, "And you had so much potential…!" He said, before his expression become one of pure anger, as he threw a fist at the trainer. With a swift movement, as if he was expecting it, the youth grabbed the man's wrist and directed it to the side. Taking advantage of the moment, he then threw a punch of his own. There was a moment of silence as the blow connected, hitting the man's jaw. Ecco scowled as the man seemed unaffected, looking back at him with a smirk. Pulling his arm back, the man turned and walked back through the crowd. "Crush him…" He said, as the crowd closed in, their pokemon following close behind. _I can't take all of them, and my pokemon are exhausted…I can't turn around though, she needs to get out…_ He grounded his feet and clenched his fists, watching the group creep closer.

(  watch/?v=CZ6ZW5wv13A&amp;list=PLFAE4F44C043C0B52&amp;index=106&amp;feature=plpp_video )

The female trainer had started for the exit on the other side of the battle-ravaged room before pausing hearing the commotion going on behind her. She stood still for a moment, questioning whether Ecco was in trouble or gathering up a group to catch her. The trainer looked at Darkrai for a moment before speaking, "Are you going to help me out today?" The nightmare Pokemon seemed lost in thought before the trainer spoke, being a bit startled by the trainer's question. "I'll help you this time," the Pokemon shrugged, not wishing to give too much power to the trainer. However, Darkrai was beginning to feel different about Jen from seeing her actions toward her fallen dragon. The trainer's lips formed a small smile, happy to hear some cooperation from him for once. "Okay, I have a plan," Jen reached into her pocket and pulled out her waterfall-etched Pokeball, releasing the sea-dragon from within. "And, Gyarados is going to help." She continued, smiling up at her first caught Pokemon. Within no time at all, Jen and Darkrai made their way for Ecco's exit, going through the door to see what the commotion was all about. "Ecco!" She called, before realizing just how many Rocket Grunts were in the room. _Once I find him, on my side or not, these guys won't know what hit 'em..._

Ecco's head snapped toward's Jen's voice, while he still remained on guard. "Jen! I told you to get out of here!" He said as he watched the members of the group in the back turn their attention towards the young female. Twisted smiles formed on the men's faces as they began to approach her, thinking of the reward they'd receive for catching the renegade. Ecco growled, clenching his fist tightly as the faction on his side sent their pokemon in for an assault. With a loud hiss, a Persian led the group as it sprang off it's back legs with a jump towards him. Preparing to knock it away however he could, Ecco drew back a bit as the large cat pokemon got within inches of him. Before it could make contact, a red figure impacted it's right side, sending it tumbling to the ground. Ecco turned towards the downed Persian to see the rouge Flareon standing on top of it's prey, baring it's teeth and emitting swirls of fire. It turned swiftly and jumped off, landing in front of the white haired youth. With the swirls growing more and more intense, and the same firey passion burning in the pokemon's eyes, it glared at the group, stepping towards them with clenched teeth. Ecco stared at the pokemon as it pushed the group back with each step. "Flare…" He said, as he saw an opening form from the withdrawing crowd. "Thank you…" He said as a smirk formed on his face. "Alright, Jen's on the other side, we have to push through!" He said pointing towards the gap. The Flareon looked back at his trainer for a moment with a look of confusion upon hearing that Jen was in the room, and even more so that his trainer wished to help her. Realizing there was no time to look into the matter, the pokemon turned back to the group and let out a loud cry, shooting a burst of flame into the air above them for intimidation, before charging into the crowd with his trainer close behind.

While Ecco took on his number of Rockets, Jen began on her half as well. Doing her best not to injure anyone, but rather hinder them long enough for Ecco to get to her side of the room. This was to the point that she had to avoid using Darkrai's special move, rendering the opponent into a deep, nightmare-filled sleep. _They need to stay awake and able to move... they'll need as much help as they can get._ "Don't worry about me, just hurry back!" She shouted, trying her best to avoid both grunts, Pokemon, and their incoming attacks; with Darkrai covering her for each move with incredible speed, throwing a dark, shadowy ball at the opponents or having a wave of dark energy overwhelming the opponents.

With a fiery red blur cutting through the crowd, Ecco followed close, keeping an eye out for Jen, regardless of her wishes. Grunts continued to send their pokemon in, but were kept under control for the most part. By the time the doors to the damaged room came back into view, his pokemon's strides had turned into what was more of a limp, due to contact with some of the others. Ecco's eyes caught this and widened as he watched Flare's legs collapse from underneath him. Without hesitating he scooped up his partner and dove back through the doors of the room that had previously held the large battle. Landing on the floor with a slide, he shielded his pokemon from the impact of the landing. As soon as he could he let out a shout, "Jen, we're out now, come on!"

The trainer wrinkled her nose at the response, but went ahead to give her sea dragon his orders. "Gyarados, use Hydro Pump to flood the hall way!" She began, watching the large water-type crouch down to the door greeting the grunts and their Pokemon with a small nod before blasting the water at their faces. Once the group was washed far down the hall, Jen began issuing orders again, "Now Zapcannon, use a light electric attack to knock their lights out." The electric mouse gave a small "Rai" before trotting up to the doorway and giving the wet hall floors a small zap. From down the hall, you could hear exclamations of "Ows," "Get out of the water," or "Let's get out of here." When the hall became silent, Jen quickly closed the door due to paranoia. "So, who's the one that doesn't think, again?" Jen asked with a tone, returning her Gyarados to his waterfall-etched Pokeball.

Ecco laid his pokemon down to rest, before letting out a sigh. "Look…I appreciate the help back there…But you really should get out of here. There's no telling what would happen if they caught you, and as you can tell, I'm not saying this to get you off their backs, or as a bluff." He began to rummage through his pockets for something, before remembering it was no longer there. He instead stroked Flare's head, "I'll get you help soon." He said to his pokemon, before returning him to a ball marked with the pattern and colors of a roaring fire.

Jen let out a snort before quickly rummaging through her bag for one of her many herbs and handing one over to Ecco. "Do you think I came here empty handed? Next, I am not leaving here until-" She began, before an ominous red light began to flash and a beeping sound, akin to a fire alarm, began to ring through the hideout. Without skipping a beat, a call began to forward through on her PokeGear and swiftly answered it. "What's going on, Lance?" She questioned, wanting to know if he were behind this newfound chaos. After a few nods and the shocking news behind the meaning of the siren, she finished with a "I'll meet you there," and a click. "I'm quite sure that you know what this siren means, that the other Rockets are attempting to blow this hideout up," She started, crossing her arms and heading for the other exit. "I'm going ahead to meet up with Lance at the power grid, you can do as you will, Ecco. Thanks for Zapcannon, but, you should take him back, you're low on Pokemon as well." She stopped at the door, wondering if he was going to stop her and waiting for her nightmare Pokemon to follow her as well.

_To think they'd resort to this…_ Ecco growled, releasing his pokemon once more to treat his wounds with the newly obtained herb. "Look…I know how to override the command…" He said, looking away, "…That is if you trust me yet." He continued treating his Flareon, not really expecting an answer, or a negative one if anything. The small fox-esque pokemon stood up, shaking it's legs out one at a time, before releasing a small amount of fire with a smirk.

The female trainer turned around to look at Ecco, shaking her head at him. "We just don't have the time to get to a computer, even then, we'll be wasting time if it turns out that the other Rockets had locked you out of the system or changed the password. Cutting out the power source, the Electrodes that are wasting their lives powering this hideout, would be our best and safest bet, don't you think?" Jen explained, no longer exhibiting hostility in her voice. After a small pause and a shrug, she continued, "But, I do need help looking for that power grid room, I don't have the time to get lost, either."

Holding one side of his head and turning away from the blaring sirens, Ecco simply nodded in agreement. "Alright then," He began, as he reached into his shirt to reveal a card hanging around his neck. "We'll need this." Flare stayed close by the two, eyeing Jen from time to time, but aware that he owed her a favor. Upon coming to the first door, Ecco took a few seconds to assure what was already assumed. He took the lanyard off his neck and slid it through a panel next to the door. "This is what I was talking about. We-…They've never had to use this procedure for anything before, but Archer made it clear when he went over the details that the key was the only way to override the doors in the event that it was deployed…" A red light close by blinked for a moment or two before turning green, the doors now sliding open. On the other side, a pair of grunts stood with their pokemon, barely able to balance and on the verge of tears. "…He also mentioned that some may be told to stay to ensure that no intruder made it out." He stood ready, his fire pokemon snarling beside him. "We can't waste time…Go straight from here, and make a right. From there, it's a fairly straight-forward path to the generator." He said as his pokemon charged the pair, leaving a trail of embers flowing from its mouth as it ran. "And here, you'll be needing this." He added as he handed her the card. "I'll see you on the outside… Provided you pull this off."

Jen hesitated a moment to listen to Ecco, holding onto the card tightly as losing the key to the room would be the worst case scenario. "I'll see you then... don't be late," she said over the sirens before bolting off in the direction Ecco had instructed, hoping that he was right and not just pulling some trick. As the female trainer neared the power room, she could see four figures in the distance: Lance, his faithful Dragonite, a red-headed executive, and another grunt. "What took you so long?" Lance asked with a teasing smirk once Jen caught up, before focusing on the two opponents before them. "The teams seem to be uneven now, you Rockets have no chance now," he said with a shrug. After the ordeal the female trainer had to go through, she couldn't help but have a confident smile as her nightmare Pokemon moved up next to Lance's Dragonite. The red-headed executive huffed at Lance's statement, running her fingertips through her hair. "Don't think it'll be that simple, ignore us and we'll order the Pokemon inside to self-destruct; you two can't win," she mocked, grabbing a Pokeball on her belt, ready for the battle. "Jen, we need to get rid of these two, otherwise, they'll be getting in the way."

The grunt stood confidently beside his superior, holding a pokeball of his own in his hand. With a small toss the ball hit the ground bouncing, before shooting out a light that revealed a dark purple pokemon. It bore a resemblance to the ghostly spy seen before, but instead stood on two legs, bearing small arms as well. A large grin spread across its face, as he began to laugh, sticking it's tounge out at it's opponents. It's smugness didn't last long however, as the hideout began to shake violently, and it fell to the ground. The two Rocket members scowled almost simultaneously, as the red haired woman banged on the doors behind her. "Hey! We're still out here!" She barked, sending out a pokemon of her own, a large purple cobra, bearing the patterns of a sinister smile on it's neck. With a large hiss from the snake pokemon, the fight was now underway.

Jen's confident smile faltered at the sight of the purple ghost and turned to look at Lance. "They've really got no chance, I'll go first," She teased, with a returning smirk. "Darkrai, use Dark Pulse on Gengar! Then use Dark Void to shut the Grunt down!" Darkrai held out one hand, shadows from the nooks and crannies of the room gathering to form a ball before dispersing in a wave, following after the ghost Pokemon.

Gengar's former grin had long since faded as he was greeted by a wave of pure darkness. Putting up his small arms in front of him, he held it back as long as possible before being overtaken. With a hoarse "Gen…" the pokemon fell to the ground. The grunt took a step back both in fear and awe. "No…NO!" He shouted as he watched the nightmare pokemon built up its next attack. Turning quickly, he grabbed the shoulders of the red haired executive next to him. "A-Are you insane!? Let go of me!" She shouted, as she was thrown in front of the pokemon. With this move, the grunt retreated into the room behind him, leaving a now asleep executive and her confused pokemon to fend for themselves.

The two dragon trainers eased, taking a confused glance at each other at what happened to the Rocket executive. Then looked on at the confused cobra, no longer able to battle from the lack of a trainer to receive orders from. "Well, that was... unexpectedly, easy," Lance stated, peering over at the sleeping executive. After a moments pause, Jen dashed over to the card scanner and unlocked the door. Without skipping a beat, the double doors to the power generator room slid open and the two trainers walked in. The room was a sad sight to behold, watching eight Electrodes being hooked up to a generator to power the hideout and being ordered to die so as to blow up the hideout. _Did these Pokemon have a life outside of powering this place? _"Jen, I'll take one side and you'll take the other. Unfortunately, what we'll have to do is knock these Pokemon out before they have the chance to explode; its too risky to even capture these guys," Lance instructed, looking on at his side with dread. "After they're knocked out, we should get them to a better place, Lance," Jen started, not wanting to leave them here forever. "But, first things first, lets stop them.

In a nearby room, the cowardly grunt stood holding a small radio, through which Archer's scolding voice could be heard. "Idiot! I can't trust you to take out some teenager?!" He shouted as the grunt flinched, holding the device away. "B-But sir! She had the Elite Four champion with her! We stood no chance!" He replied, his voice quivering. Archer replied with a growl, "Where's Arianna?" He asked, the sound of an impatient finger tapping echoing through as well. The grunt flinched once more at this remark, his mind flashing back to the fight. He paused for a few moments before his commander's voice broke the silence. "I said…Where is Arianna…?" He asked, irritability and dread filling each word. The grunt's eyes widened as he came up with a response. "She fell victim to the girl's pokemon and it's sleep inducing attack, so I had to get us out of there…" He said, a small smirk appearing on his face as he was made into a hero. Archer sighed, only half believing the story, "Fine…Look, that room is a lost cause. We'll send a team in to clean up afterwards…The backup generator in the left wing should be going up in flames any minute, so just evacuate and meet up at Goldenrod...Archer out." He said as a small click was heard, closing communications. The grunt sighed a sigh of relief as he clutched his chest and proceeded to evacuate as ordered. Shortly after this conversation took place, loud crashing and violent shaking could be felt around the hideout, as explosions tore through the building's left side.

The dragon trainers went to work, going up each of their rows. Lance was making quick work of his row with his Dragonite. Meanwhile, brought out her Nidoking to focus on two Electrodes and Darkrai putting the other half into a restless sleep. Within a minute, the duo were done and throwing pokeballs at the unconscious Electrodes. The damages from the back up generator had startled the two trainers, but after the last Electrode was knocked out the sirens had ceased. Not only did the sirens cease, but the lights and air system as well. The two trainers looked around the dark room, feeling the newfound excitement of a job well done. "Looks like we pulled it off, Lance," Jen whispered, beaming at their success and the Pokemon they saved.

Due to the darkness of the rooms, the two trainers quickly put Nidoking and Dragonite away, only for Lance to release his Charizard for some light. When the dragon duo turned around to face the sleeping executive and the Arbok, the two were gone without a trace. "Yes, but Team Rocket got away while we were distracted," Lance pointed out, staring at the Rocket executive's last spot; as if staring at the spot would bring the executive back. Going back out empty-handed seemed dissatisfying to the two, that history had a chance to repeat itself. The two began heading out silently, listening to the echo of their footsteps in the quiet halls. This kind of silence was unnerving to the female trainer. The fact that there were a number of trainers around at the time of the sirens and once they were done stopping the Electrodes, everyone had vanished into thin air, there was no sound hinting toward anyone else's existence except their own. Once the two trainers made it back to the old-fashioned shop, there were finally signs of life again as various officers began their investigation and apprehending the shop owners. The fact that only a handful of grunts were caught meant that there were multiple exits in that hideout and that the trainers had failed to cover their bases. After a few conversations about where Misa and Zack ran off to and the questioning from the officers, the two trainers had departed their separate ways. Lance wishing Jen good luck before heading off to the Elite Four once more. Once Jen finished seeing Lance off, she took off as well, heading towards Ecruteak City. Upon landing, the trainer made her way to the Pokemon Center, requesting for a bed room as the day began to come to an end. Once being settled into her room, she slouched into her chair; letting her golden colored Growlithe come out of his Pokeball to play. It was only when Growlithe begged to play fetch was when Jen realized Ecco's card key. His photo ID, ID and Trainer No., and, even, "How to Contact" info. She hushed her playful pup down and dialed the number on her PokeGear, waiting for the first ring. _So, is he really on my side?_

The white haired youth stood, facing his now panicked opponent after what was a relatively short battle. The grunt returned his pokemon with a snarl, "You idiot! You held the bright future of Team Rocket in your hands! Fame, fortune and power…And you blew it!" He said, placing the ball on his belt. Ecco sighed, clenching the bridge of his nose and shutting his eyes. The grunt scoffed and turned to begin trekking towards the hideout's exit. Zapcannon looked up at his trainer and pulled at his pant leg, his cheeks sparking wildly. The trainer saw this and knew what it meant immediately. The electric mouse's cheeks were picking up excess electricity from close by as the Electrodes in the generator room began to ready for self-destruction. A scowl formed as he realized it was too late to stop it. Grabbing a ball off of his belt, he returned his Flareon, and placed it back in it's spot. He snapped his fingers, a quick communication to his Raichu that meant to follow him, and stay close. He began to sprint down a few hallways, getting within a few minutes of the exit before the first of many explosions shook the hideout. The generator room doors blew off their hinges, releasing a wave of heat and sparks that tore through support s within the structure of the left wing's walls. The ceiling above these areas began to collapse, bringing each adjacent hallway's structure with it as well. As the doors leading back to the small building above ground came into view, dust from the shaking ceiling above the pair began to fall heavily, bringing decent sized pieces down with them, and often onto the two. With a final burst of energy, Ecco shoved the doors open and dove through with his pokemon, landing on the wooden floor of a now slanted room that once hid the hideout. Bring himself to all fours, he coughed, in an attempt to remove dust from his lungs. He stood slowly, the impact from the ceiling pieces beginning to take their toll on his body. He held his head as he began to catch his breath. Shaking off a bit of dizziness, he walked outside, making his way towards the town's outskirts before stopping once more to rest. The grunt's words echoed in his head, as he stared into the distance. Fame and fortune meant nothing to him, but the word power repeated itself several times. He sighed and dropped his head for a moment before he heard a ring coming from his pocket. He reached in and pulled out a device given to him by Archer for communication purposes. Debating whether or not to smash the device or not, he looked at the display to see who was trying to contact him. With simply the words "Unknown Contact" being displayed, the option of it being any registered Rocket member was not likely. With the click of a button, he brought it close to his ear and spoke. "Ecco here…" He said, his voice full of suspicion.

Jen remained silent when Ecco had responded, questioning whether she should say something or just hang up. "I see you managed to get away from the police," Jen said, pausing again to mull over what she should say next. Then it hit her... _He might know where the Rockets ran off to._ "What are you going to do now? Where are you?" She questioned, hoping that he did change sides, maybe even enough to pursue the others.

Ecco relaxed after realizing it was Jen on the other side, "There were no police when I left, I don't know, and just outside Mahogany Town." He said pretty bluntly, these questions and comments being the last things on his mind. "Look is there a reason you called…?" He asked, already guessing the answer.

Jen sighed at his bluntness with a hint of annoyance. She hated having to deal with this tone with Ceres and Ecco, no matter the situation. "I wanted to know where the Rockets went..." She replied, trying to keep her composure. "You don't have to pursue them with me, but if you don't tell me where they ran off to then I don't think I can help you if or when you get caught." She continued on, putting her free hand on her hip. Jen couldn't help but think about the times she had to relay details about Team Galactic and Ceres off to the officials. Unfortunately, her reputation in Sinnoh didn't carry over into Johto quite as much. Even though the officers saw her there at the hideout earlier, she may have only been seen as a tough trainer helping her cousin out.

"Archer has me labeled as a traitor now, so he wouldn't trust me this kind of information…" He began, as he tapped a finger on his knee "But I do have an idea of where they could be. If you can meet with me, I'll let you in on it. I'll be by the eastern flank of Mount Mortar, so just come when you get the chance." He said, his tone easing up a bit. "And as for me getting caught, don't worry about it, though I'm not quite sure why you are in the first place." He said, with a small shrug. Zapcannon's ears twitched on occasion, signaling that he was listening in as he licked areas where crumbling ceiling had hit him.

Jen shrugged at his first comment, thinking how Lake of Rage may have been a testing grounds for that strange technology used on the Magikarps at the lake. The more she thought about the technology used, the more of a bad feeling she had. "I'm not so much worried about you getting caught as me having to turn you over myself," She replied simply. "Of course, this isn't the case, especially since Lance is back at the Indigo Plateau. Anyway, I'll meet you there in a few minutes," She finished, closing her PokeGear shortly after. Jen sighed and looked down at her shining Growlithe, who was passed out on her bed. The trainer couldn't help but smile at the fire pup before returning him into the Pokeball. After returning the room key and switching around her Pokemon, Jen went outside to release her Dragonite and heading out to Mount Mortar. The trip was short, but even then her and her dragon hovered in the air a few moments before landing. As they landed, Jen remained on her dragon's back, petting the side of his neck and apologizing for their loss of the match. Dragonite would shake his head at her and give a small "Aroo" in response. She couldn't help but smile at his responses and keep petting him, waiting for Ecco to show up.

Ecco sat for a few moments after the call had ended, clutching the device tightly. Dwelling on the part where Jen had said "…Turn you over myself" with a bit of malice, he placed the device on the ground and stood up. His Raichu let out a whimper in response to all of the tension, lowering his ears. _I've had about enough of this girl…_ He thought, as he took a step, driving the device into the earth and causing it to break. Due to half of his team being down, he had to walk about ten minutes before Mount Mortar and the pair came into sight. He and Zapcannon approached, Ecco with crossed arms and Zapcannon with a worried expression. Not being one to say the first word, especially with Jen's words in his head, Ecco leaned against the side of the mountain and awaited the fellow trainer's questions.

It took a moment to realize Ecco was there, but noticed him when Dragonite had turned to his direction. Her smiles had faded away from the aura he gave off and the given situation. After a while of Ecco saying nothing, Jen sighed a little before saying something herself. "So, where do you think they ran off to?"

Ecco took a few moments to respond, his eyes never meeting Jen's. "There was talk of moving to Goldenrod City." He began, brushing a bit of remaining dust from his hair. "They always dreamt of taking over the biggest city in Jhoto, and using the radio tower to broadcast propaganda to everyone."

Jen stayed quiet for a few moments, thinking about why Team Rocket _would_ take over Goldenrod City. Yes, Goldenrod is one of the biggest cities in the Johto region. However, the numbers of that city had begun to dwindle as people have started to move out ever since the Magnet Train broke down in Saffron City. _Its gotta be the radio tower... but for what? _Then the trainer thought about the Rocket's test run at Lake of Rage and the effects it had on Pokemon,  
only for it to hit her. The one element for the two things to have in common were the use of radio wave frequencies. _If Team Rocket gets a hold of Goldenrod... then they'll have nearly every Pokemon in the Johto region under their command._ The trainer was in shock from the realization, taking a few moments to snap out of it and focus on the setting before her again, completely ignoring the cold shoulder Ecco was trying to give her. "Ecco, we- er, I, er..." Jen sputtered, sighing shortly after. "Oh, whatever... Look, I need to get over to Goldenrod now. This is a lot more important than just a repeat of the Saffron City Takeover 3 years ago," Jen continued, readjusting her hair and fixing her ponytail, foreseeing the many battles ahead. "With that in mind, you have the choice to come with me or go on your own... and I won't go after you, I'm still unsure about you being on my side," She mentioned, finishing her new ponytail with a tight tie. "Either way... are you in or out?" Jen asked, reaching a hand out to him for Ecco to get onto her Pokemon's back.

Memories flashed through Ecco's head once more, of times travelling together with her and another trainer. Being lost in thought, it took him a few moments to respond, shaking off the trance as he did. "After what happened at the hideout, I guess that makes me on your side by default." He said with a sigh as he reached for the trainer's hand. After climbing aboard, he returned his Raichu to a ball, and put it away safely. Making sure he was ready, he gave Jen a nod. "Lead the way." He said, hanging on.

( watch?v=GSFvN_gBjiM&amp;list=PLFAE4F44C043C0B52&amp;index=135 Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance Intermission Theme)

Jen nodded at Ecco, telling Dragonite to take off for Goldenrod City. Upon take off, the female trainer couldn't help but get more butterflies. She'd thought about taking the time to call Lance, maybe even Clair or the police. Unfortunately, it was already late at night, her cousins wouldn't pick up, as for the police... the Goldenrod police would be outnumbered by Team Rocket, easily. And then the city came into view. The breathtaking view of the tall buildings and the radio tower. The glimmering lights decorating the buildings like morning dew, even spotting the bay's gentle waters. If it weren't for the Rockets occupying this city, the sight of the city and the cloudless night sky would have made this night beautiful. As the dragon flew closer to their destination, the figures in black were finally able to be seen, mostly due to their red "R" reflecting in the street lights. The numbers of Grunts were astounding, many of them blocking off certain alleyways and important buildings, including the Pokemon Center and the Goldenrod Depot building. Despite the number of streets being blocked off, their numbers began to dwindle down at the lower half of the city. Although, it was very clear what their main target was by the numbers swarming the radio tower, the take over has just begun. Due to the time of night, none of the Rockets that they could see were neither questioned nor opposed. However, the widespread of Rockets throughout the city made landing even more difficult, then she came up with an idea, hopefully with the help of a Pokemon collector. "Dragonite, head over to the beach," Jen ordered, quickly grabbing for the PokeGear in her pocket. Within a few moments, the phone began to ring and finally a male voice answered. "Hey, Bill, I heard you were with your family in Goldenrod, there's an emergency happening in the radio tower and I need somewhere to land..." Jen paused for a response, as the group moved over Bill's neighborhood, there were only two groups occupying the area; the Goldenrod Casino building and the Pokemon Center. "Okay, thanks Bill, I'll see you soon," Jen thanked, a smile beaming as she hung up and told her Dragonite to descend. As the group did, Bill greeted them at the door, fully dressed and not in the least bit tired. _He was probably reading up on legendary Pokemon again._

Ecco stood quietly behind Jen, one hand in his pocket, and another hanging at his side. _So this is the famous Bill I've always heard stories of…_ He thought, as he eyed the now nervous researcher. Pulling Jen in the doorway, Bill eyed the young male trainer, who was still fully dressed in Rocket uniform. "What do you want?" Bill asked, irritation at the whole group being present in his voice. Ecco raised an eyebrow at the man's question, before realizing why he was acting this way. "I'm with Jen, if you would kindly take us in, I'll explain as much as I can." He said, aware that he wouldn't share his reasons with a complete stranger, no matter how famous. There was a silence between the two for a short time, before Bill finally let out a sigh, "The last thing I need is to be involved with Team Rocket, but if you're with Jen, there must be a reason…So come in." He said as he stepped aside. Bill lead the way, pushing through a bit of clutter here and there, and ultimately finding the main living space. "Please excuse the mess, I was in the middle of research as usual." He began towards the kitchen, coming back a few minutes later with a kettle of warm tea and a few cups. After pouring three cups, offered one to both trainers before taking one for himself. "Without this stuff, I'd be out cold right now." He said, trying to lighten the mood. Ecco nodded to show thanks before taking a sip and setting it down. "So, getting to the topic at hand…I see I don't need to inform you about the Rocket's invasion. As for my involvement, I would rather not go into detail about my reasons for it, however, I will tell you I am no longer a part of their organization, nor do they like me very much right now." Ecco began, telling as much as he could about the events that transpired at the hideout in Mahogany Town. "That's how we ended up here, and why I'm still dressed like this. I haven't really had a chance to change out of this getup, seeing as I'd be tossed out of a pokemon center before I even got the chance to speak." He continued. _"_Come to think of it, I kept most of my clothes at the hideout, so it seems as though I'm stuck in this for a while." He added, brushing off a bit more dust from his shoulders. Bill placed an empty cup on the table in front of them, "Quite the tale…" He said, seeming to be thinking of something.


	7. Rocket Saga (Part 2)

While Ecco had explained what was going on, Jen just played around with the cup in her hand, not really in a mood to drink, much less tea. After a few moments of silence, Jen placed her cup down on the table before the group. "Our problem now is getting to the radio tower without alerting the other Rockets," Jen sighed, rubbing her hands over her face. "We could try sneaking in dressed as Rockets, I heard there's old costume from three years ago in the Underground Tunnel here... if the tunnel isn't blocked off, you guys got any ideas?" Jen asked, still mulling over the Underground Tunnel and the herbalist there.

Ecco shook his head, "I don't see that working too well…Seeing as I've worn this outfit enough, and the entire lot most likely has both our faces memorized." He said, slouching a bit in his seat as he tried his luck at coming up with a plan. "Archer wouldn't have me within ten feet of the place without some of his lackeys picking a fight, especially after letting you go…" He continued, an idea beginning to come together. "I'm thinking the best choice may to bring him a 'peace offering' of sorts…Just to get our foot in the door." He said, turning his gaze toward Jen.

Jen remained quiet for some time at Ecco's response; thinking if there was another way around that plan, knowing that there really was no way around it. While she mused over there plans, Bill eyed the two trainers, going back and forth constantly and eventually coming to the same conclusion. "You're going to offer me as a gift," Jen replied, not bothering to question the plan. "Now hang on, Jen, there's gotta be some other way," Interrupted Bill, seemingly shocked that Jen had agreed. "Bill, I need to," She replied, taking a deep breath before doing so. "The Police aren't out and about helping, and, odds are, the gym leaders of the Johto region aren't even awake to take calls for help. As I helped out in Sinnoh going against Team Galactic, and Ecco was once a member of this organization, we're the closest shot we've got here," Jen explained, trying her best to stay relaxed. "Now, what's the best way to go about this? Me roped up? Dragged by the hand? More importantly, how are we going to get there?"

Ecco stared blankly at Jen for a few moments, surprised that she actually agreed to go through with the plan so shortly after what happened in Mahogany Town. "Well if we're going to do this, we have to make it as convincing as possible. A few ropes wouldn't hurt, just around the wrists. As for how to get in…It's just as you said. The police aren't going to be around to see us go to the front door. It's just a matter of putting on a show for the grunts outside." He said, standing up. "I don't expect you to do this if you aren't ready, but if we are going to, I'm going to need you to follow my lead in there. I'm going to need you to trust me." He said, seeking a response in her eyes as he stared down at her.

_I can't believe I agreed to it either. But do I trust him? This soon? _The trainer folded her hands, thinking deeply about the possibilities of this move, as she did, Jen nodded a few times as Ecco talked, stopping at the trust part. _Ouch, he's like a mind reader._ After a few moments, Jen looked up at him, straight in the eyes without faltering, "I am ready, but are you?"

For the first time in a while, Ecco smiled at Jen. "No doubt." He said simply, offering her a hand. Though his words showed confidence, he couldn't help but be slightly nervous. _How will Archer react to a second betrayal…? _He wondered, the thought actually more exciting than unnerving. Bill stood up as well, "Exuse me for a moment." He said, as he walked into room further back in the house. A short while later, he could be seen coming back with a small bit of rope. He offered it reluctantly to Ecco, still not completely on board with the idea. "I have a lot of books that need binding, so I have plenty of these lying around." He said, as Ecco took it in his hand. "Thank you Bill, and I promise we'll be back." Ecco said, turning back to Jen.

Despite Ecco's enthusiastic smile, her nervousness about the plan still bothered her inside. Jen took Ecco's hand as she stood up and watched Bill come back with the piece of rope, noticing how nervous Bill was about handing a friend over on a silver platter. "Look, I think it would make us feel a bit better if my Dusknoir could hide in my shadow, is that fine with you, Ecco?" Jen asked, grabbing a Dusk Ball from her side.

Ecco made a gesture of indifference, "I don't blame you, it sounds like a good idea to me." He said, as he motioned for Jen to place her arms behind her back. With this, he began to tie the trainer's wrists together, give a few swift tugs to close the knot up. "Alright, that should do the job." He said, eyeing the trainer with a bit of a flustered expression. "I've left enough slack, so you should be able to break loose if need be. If it makes you feel any better, Zapcannon will be with us the entire time." He added, releasing his Raichu from his pokeball once more. Upon coming out, the pokemon proceeded to get on all fours and shake out it's fur, not being a fan of being cooped up in a pokeball for extended periods. The pokemon noticed Jen, and turned to Ecco with confusion. "It's okay Zap, We're putting on a bit of a show." His trainer said, as the confused pokemon approached Jen slowly and began to sniff at her pant leg. Looking up at her, he let out a small "Rai…?"

Jen had released her Dusknoir, the Pokemon looking at Ecco in confusion as well. As Ecco had begun to tie her hands up, the ghost Pokemon became infuriated to see his trainer in such a predicament. To the point that she had to get in the way between her Pokemon and Ecco. "Dusknoir, it's okay! Calm down," Jen responded, looking up at the floating ghost, who had begun to calm down. "Are you sure?" The Pokemon questioned, seeming disturbed by this picture. Jen smiled and nodded, trying her best to reassure her Pokemon. "Right now, I need you to stay in my shadow in case if something goes awry. We're trying to infiltrate the radio tower swarming with Rockets and if we need to get away, I need you to give them a nice punch in the face," Jen instructed, still smiling. Just being in the presence of her Pokemon made her feel a bit better and calmer. "Ecco, I'm afraid it'd be a little... shifty if I came in with all my stuff on me... You're going to have to carry my bag and pokeballs, including the one on my necklace," Jen mentioned, testing her restraints to see if they were good enough. After that, she looked over at Bill who was looking on quietly. "And, Bill... I need you to call Lance if we don't make it back by dawn, something will have happened if we don't get back by then, okay?"

After all of the formalities were out of the way, Ecco placed Jen's pokeballs into her bag and slung it over his shoulder. With a nod to Bill, he placed a hand on Jen's shoulder and proceeded to guide her out the door. _If only he could see this… _Ecco thought smugly, before devoting himself completely to the task at hand. Looking up, one could easily see the Radio Tower reaching high above the city. "Seeing as the Radio Tower is only a short distance to the north, we should be able to get there pretty fast… The only problem is that the buildings in this area don't allow for a direct path to it. Our best bet would most likely be to make our way out of this area and on to the main streets. From that point onward, we'll be pretty easy to see, so we'll need to make it convincing." He said, watching for any stray grunts as he spoke.

As the group left, Dusknoir crept into Jen's shadow, still seeming unsure about this whole plan. "I suppose so, may have been easier on my part if you taped my mouth shut," Jen snorted, wondering if she be yelling for help to seem convincing or seem limp and lethargic. As they neared the exit of this neighborhood, they were able to see a group of Rockets outside of the game corner. It took a while, but eventually the grunts noticed the group coming towards them, expecting residents of Goldenrod City then realizing it was a fellow Rocket. However, the grunts quickly went from walking over to a sprint realizing it was Ecco. _Well, at least they're not dumb..._

Ecco scowled at the approaching rockets, knowing full well he was going to have to deal with them at one point or another. Keeping his right hand on her shoulder, he wrapped his left arm around her. He pulled her close, whispering into her ear, "Listen…I know it's tough for you, but you need to play this part if there's any hope of us getting in." He said, holding her tightly. As the Rocket members slowed to a steady walk, the lead of the group threw a hand behind him, signaling the others to stay back for now as he assessed the situation. The man crossed his arms and cocked his head back a bit with a smug expression, "Well this is interesting! So you've come crawling back to us, eh? How pathetic." He laughed, Ecco's face expressing little to no emotion. He remained like this, despite the urge to tackle the grunt to the ground boiling inside him. Stepping a bit closer, the grunt began to eye Jen, starting with her face, then moving down slowly. "Ah, and this must be the little cutie that 'slipped away,' am I right?" He smirked, grabbing her chin and forcing her to face him. With a small scowl returning, Ecco took his hand off of Jen's shoulder, using it to shove the grunt away. With this small display of malice, the other members of the Rocket's group began to move up, clenching their fists tightly. Before they could get close, the leader signaled them to stay put once more. The grunt stepped forward once more, sending a glare towards Ecco. "Watch it, boy…" He growled, signaling his squad to follow him as he shoved the two aside and walked by.

The trainer was taken aback when Ecco pulled her in for the reminder, making her nervous as the Rockets came closer. _Aw man, to be honest, he should've just taped my mouth shut, I was never one for acting..._ However, once the Rocket had referred to her as a cutie and checked her out like a piece of meat, the nervousness began to fade away and the thought of acting was pushed aside. She couldn't help but scoff at the Grunt, coming close to biting the Grunt's thumb that laid near her mouth before Ecco pushed him away. _"_You better watch yourself, buddy. If I could, my Pokemon would be crushing you, right now," Jen growled without thinking, wishing to show the guy up for being a creep. Then hoping afterward that her outburst wasn't going to get the two of them in trouble.

The grunt merely threw a hand into the air as his group laughed, walking into another section of the city. Ecco let out a sigh, "Alright, now we just have to deal with the grunt by the door, and we'll be in." He whispered, moving towards the Radio Tower's base. A familiar face stepped forward to halt the pair of trainers. "You again… I thought you were caught in that explosion." The grunt said, remembering his battle in the Mahogany Town Hideout. "Look, just move aside, I'm not here to deal with you." Ecco said, impatience obvious in his tone. "You think I've forgotten how you humiliated me at the hideout?" The grunt snarled, inching closer. With this, Zapcannon's cheeks sparked as he let out a small warning growl. With a discharge of electricity hitting the ground in front of him, the grunt eyed the group ferociously before finally moving aside. "Fine, you can have your little meeting with Archer, just stay out of my sight." He growled, turning his head away. Ecco scoffed, "Whatever you say…" He said, shaking his head as they walked through the Radio Tower's double doors.

Jen couldn't help but snort at the Grunt and his attitude. He shouldn't feel all high and mighty for just being a low-life grunt. _I'm surprised Ariana hasn't put him in his place..._ Jen took a deep breath to clear her mind as the group approached the looming Radio Tower ahead. Thankfully, Jen didn't have to say much in Ecco's conversation, just having to glare at the Grunt as they passed and struggling in Ecco's grip as they entered the building. Once they were in, the building was eerily quiet. Being used to the hustle and bustle the lobby of the building once had. Even then, the secretary of the building was being held against her will at the front desk; seeming shocked at Jen's entrance, then turning solemn at the sight of her capture. _I promise we'll help you out soon, I promise. _Then Jen looked on as they neared the stairs to the next floor, hearing the footsteps of another Grunt coming closer and closer.

"Hey, you! Don't move!" He said as he finally approached. Ecco froze, not because he was ordered to but out of annoyance that they were being stopped again. _I had no reason to think this would be easy…_ He thought, turning to the grunt. "Let me guess, 'What am I doing here' or 'How dare I show my face around here again,' right? I've heard it already, I have business with Archer, not with you fools." The grunt was slightly taken aback by this response, and decided to back off. "Fine, just go. Besides, I heard Archer wants to deal with you himself anyway. It should be… interesting." The grunt laughed, continuing his rounds.

Just as Ecco had, Jen huffed at the thought of all the Grunts stopping them every few steps to say something to the group. Interestingly enough, it was mostly toward the sight of Ecco instead of their prisoner. Was the trainer that took down their hideout in Mahogany not good enough? Or, is the matters of Ecco just more pressing from the unseen betrayal? As the group headed up the stairs, the numbers of Grunts and Scientists alike were overwhelming, many occupying the desks that the radio tower employees once worked in. As the group got to the head of the stairs, they couldn't help but notice that many Grunts stopped talking and stared on, some rising from their seat at the sight of the group. _We're never gonna see Archer at this rate... maybe I should just pretend to get away from Ecco, run off, and get caught again by him later on... Just to make some sort of ruckus..._

"What have we here…?" Said a grunt as he stood, kicking his seat in behind him. "A traitor…" He said, pointing to Ecco, "And a pest." He added, flicking Jen's forehead. "Come to beg forgiveness? How great is this?" He laughed, beginning to circle the two. Remaining still, Ecco scowled as he eyed the man cautiously. "Give me one good reason I should let you pass." He asked, practically breathing down the trainer's neck. Ecco scoffed, "Give me a reason I shouldn't beat your face in." He threatened, his expression growing more fierce. The grunt laughed as he circled back around to the front of the two, "Go ahead…" He said, tapping the side of his face, "Do it and see how fast the rest of us bring you to your knees…" Taking a moment to look at the amount of Rockets around them, Ecco sighed as he realized that they really were outnumbered. The grunt smirked, noticing the change in Ecco's demeanor. "That's what I thought." He said, letting out a small chuckle. "You know what? Why don't we just take this girl to Archer ourselves? Yeah… I could use a promotion, couldn't you guys?" He asked his fellow Rockets, all of them giving a loud cheer. With the grunt distracted, Ecco pulled Jen close, "Change of plans…" He whispered, stealthily untying the ropes that bound her writsts. "Fine." He began, finishing up with the ropes. "I guess I lose…" He added, holding her wrists in place behind her back as he pocketed the rope. "She's all yours then." He said, stepping aside. "Good choice." The grunt said, taking a few steps towards Jen, a twisted smile on his face. As the grunt walked by Ecco, he waited for the opportune moment before bringing a fist to the back of the grunt's head. Witnessing the trainer knock out their comrade, the others sprang up from their seats and rushed towards them both. Pushing Jen aside and tossing her bag to her, Ecco commanded his Raichu to deliver a bolt of electricity at the group. The group soon fell to the ground, smoke rising from their freshly singed clothes. "Let's get going." He said, turning to Jen, "There's not much time before the rest of them find out." He said, heading for the next flight of stairs.

As the events began to unravel with the room of Rockets, Jen grimaced at her poorly timed thought previously, thinking about the bad luck she had. The trainer shook her head and grabbed her bag from Ecco before stumbling off to the side from the push. Seeing this, Dusknoir swiftly crept out from the shadows, holding her up before she could fall. After a small "thank you" from his trainer, the ghost Pokemon nodded and sunk back down into her shadows again. However, the ghost type still couldn't help but wish to uppercut the Rocket nearing her before, envying the hit Ecco gave. Once Jen had regained her balance from Dusknoir's help, she swiftly slung on her bag and grabbed as many Pokeballs as she could and began putting them onto her person again before running after Ecco.  
"It's a shame that plan didn't work out so well, but think about all the Grunts we'd have to fight in the city if it weren't for the idea," She said, hooking on the last Pokeball onto her necklace now. As the group got up the stairs, she noticed that this room was akin to the previous floor; what with tables on this floor being filled with Rockets again. Except, this time there were two exits; there was another staircase on the opposite side of the room and a hallway at the furthest corner of the room. As the two were in sight of the Rockets, as before, many began to rise out of their chairs. Some being dumbfounded by the sight of Ecco's reappearance and other scowling at the sight of Jen being free. _Not again..._ With that thought, Jen grabbed her crimson colored Cherish Ball and released her Darkrai. _At least this time I'm not tied up..._ Meanwhile, other trainers began to reach for their own Pokeballs to release Zubats, Koffings, Rattatas, Raticates, Ekans, and the occasional Magnemite and Voltorb. _So, who's going first?_

Ecco stood, arms crossed and eyes closed. Meanwhile, his Raichu eyed the large ghost pokemon, slightly curious. "I'm guessing you want a bit of action, hm?" Ecco said to Jen, turning his head slightly as he opened an eye. "They're all yours" He said with a small chuckle as he knelt down and placed a hand on his pokemon. Outraged by this, many of the Rockets began clammering, "You think this is some kind of Joke?!" One shouted over the rest. "We'll make you both regret ever stepping foot in Rocket territory!" They added, their pokemon charging towards the pair of trainers.

Jen couldn't help but smirk at their statements, especially when she was looking forward to battling since the Game Corner. However, her confidence couldn't help but falter when she thought about Darkrai, would he still help her or stop after a certain point? "Darkrai, use Dark Void to put the Pokemon to sleep! Dusknoir, use Shadow Sneak on the Pokemon that are unaffected," Jen ordered, holding her breath as she watched Darkrai turn to her silently, and with a small nod, he turned back at the group of Rocket. Darkrai had merely moved his claws to make the shadows in the room encase a vast amount of Pokemon, after a moment, the shadows had removed themselves from the Pokemon, only to reveal that the Pokemon have stopped in their tracks, asleep. Meanwhile, for the few Pokemon that did escape, Dusknoir was swiftly going this way and that, bouncing off Pokemon to hit another and another, then sometimes backtracking to hit a previous one until, eventually, all of the opponent's Pokemon were either asleep or fainted. _To be honest, these baby Pokemon didn't stand a chance anyway…_

Ecco shook his head, a small laugh escaping from his throat, "That didn't last long…" He said, smiling as he looked up at Jen. Giving his pokemon a small pat on the head, he stood up, and looked at the two different exits the room held, before turning to Jen. "Any ideas?" He asked, examining each path thoroughly. "The top of the Tower should be just up those stairs, but something tells me Archer's going to be a bit harder to find." He said, checking out the hallway. "We should most likely start by finding out if anyone around here can open that." He said, pointing towards the end of the hallway, where a large gate blocked those without proper clearance.

The Grunts, watching their Pokemon be defeated so easily, took the liberty to return their Pokemon and dash for the exit. Whether it were them being cowards or making a mad dash to revive their Pokemon for another round. Jen turned to Ecco when he began talking to her, smiling and nodding at his first comment, then returning Darkrai as he continued. "I think our best bet would be to search the Director's room," She suggested, latching the Pokeball onto her belt and grabbing a different Pokeball on her belt. "Or to look for whomever has the card key for the gate, which is bound to be the problem." She finished with a small sigh. "The Directors room should be up the stairs, it may be best to clear this place out while we're at it, too. Some of the employees appear to be held hostage, too.

"Got it." Ecco said, heading for the last flight of stairs. Upon reaching the top, Ecco held out a hand to Jen, assessing the situation in the room and seeing if they could get the jump on the Rockets ahead. Taking a ball off of his belt, he released Flare once more. "Alright, we'll take this one." He said, kneeling down next to his pokemon. After whispering a few commands, a smirk appeared on the Flareon's face. Creeping around the room, he stepped softly as he waited for the right opening. Spotting the largest cluster of Rockets in the room, the fire type pokemon jumped to the top of one of the many cubicles, immediately springing off as he tackled a Rocket to the ground, sinking flame coated fangs into one of his arms. With the initial attack landed and the grunt screaming, He sprang off and distanced himself from the remainder of the group, his smirk still present. Ecco smiled, "Nice moves Flare…" He said, turning to Zapcannon, "Alright Zap, help him out a bit." He added. With excitement in his eyes and an expression not too different than that of Flare's, he sprang towards his friend. Running up next to Flare, Zapcannon greeted him with a nod. Many of the Rockets were in a panic by this point, some having fled after Flare's attack, others checking their downed comrade, and others still scrambling to grab pokeballs off their persons. Not wanting the fight to drag on, or for other pokemon to get involved unnecessarily, Zapcannon prepared himself. His yellow cheeks began to emit sparks, before ultimately sending out bolts one at a time to the Rocket's hands, causing them to stop grabbing for their pokeballs. Letting out angered growls, all but one of the grunts fled as well. The remaining Rocket lifted the downed man's good arm around his shoulder and walked him off to safety.

Jen hid herself behind the railing, watching the onslaught unraveling on this floor. Rockets rushing past them and not even daring themselves to notice the two trainers hiding on the steps. _Is that the same Flareon from the hideout? ...Well, he's quite violent. I wonder how my timid Vaporeon would react. _Once the floor had been cleared out, she turned to Ecco. "You don't seem to mess around either, huh?" Jen asks, given the loud chaos that had just occurred. "Let's go to the Director's room now, the card key's gotta be in there," She mentions, going up a few more steps. "Should be ready for a battle, someone's gotta be guarding the director up there," Jen finished, grabbing a Pokeball on her side incase.

Ecco gave a small nod "Let's just hope he's there." He said, as they crossed the room, making their way to the last staircase. Stopping on the last few steps, he took a moment to peek into the next room. The room itself was pretty small, boasting only one piece of furniture which was the desk of the Radio Tower's Director. Sitting at this desk was a man in slacks, a white dress shirt and a black tie. Resting his feet on the desk and leaning back with a smug expression, he reached into his shirt's pocket and took out a cigarette. He placed it in his mouth and began to flick a lighter, almost getting it lit before he caught sight of the trainers coming up the stairs. He quickly took his feet off the desk and stood up, running a hand through his slick purple hair. Taking a second look, he realized who the two were and sighed, his hand now sliding down his forehead and over his eyes. "So you're back, and you've brought a friend!" He said, knowing his outfit wasn't going to fool Ecco. "Cut the small talk Petrel." Ecco said, his pokemon joining him on both sides. "We both know you're outnumbered, and outclassed here. Just tell us how to open the gate downstairs, and we'll convince Archer you put up a fight." He said, glaring at the fake director. Shaking his head and chuckling softly to himself, Petrel began to approach the two. "Such big talk for a couple of brats!" He said, tossing out four pokeballs, two with each hand. From the white lights released came three purple ball shaped pokemon, all of which spewed noxious fumes into the air. The last one resembled the first three highly, only different in the fact that it had a smaller head attached to it. The pokemon could be heard calling out in a hoarse voice, "Koffing!" And the occasional "Weezing!" From the larger one. Ecco sighed, "Alright, have it your way…" He said, as his two pokemon took their positions on the field.

As the two continued to talk, Jen slowly came around to Ecco's side. Trying her best to hide her surprise at the sight of Petrel, recognizing the suit as one that the director _would_ wear and have even seen him in. The thought of meeting the director a mere month ago sent shivers down her spine, had it been this impostor or the real director greeting her with a smile back then? Is it possible that it was Petrel invitation that was sent, just to see if the same trainer that brought down Team Galactic would do the same to Team Rocket? The trainer had snapped out of her questions once the executive sent out his four Pokemon. Seeing Ecco send out his Pokemon, Jen released the Pokemon she had at the ready. From the pokeball came forth another Eevee-evolution. Unlike Ecco's Flareon, this Pokemon was blue with a webbed collar and headdress, as well as a tail thought of for a mythological mermaid. The Pokemon stood on all fours and gave a small, timid battle cry before sitting down and wrapping its tail around. While waiting for Jen's order, the Pokemon couldn't help but peer over at Ecco and his Pokemon, having not seen Ecco since being an Eevee. "It's your turn to go first, Ecco," Jen offers, not feeling the least bid threatened by this Team Rocket executive.

"Sounds good to me." Ecco said, figuring out which targets to go after first. "Alright Zap, direct a thunderbolt towards the Koffing on the right side. Flare, I'll leave the Weezing to you." He ordered, his pokemon both nodding simultaneously. With his cheeks beginning to spark, it wasn't long before a bolt of pure electricity made contact with the small ball-shaped pokemon and it fell to the ground, rolling a small distance. Taking advantage of the fact that Petrel was focused on his easy loss of a pokemon, Flare proceeded to make his move, starting by releasing three bursts of flame in front of himself. As all three plumes lined up, he charged through them causing the flames to swirl around him as he jumped at Weezing. The poison type pokemon was sent flying to the wall behind Petrel, who was now enraged at the way the battle had started. "Both of you, be on your guard! Endure any attack they send your way, and don't fail me!" He shouted, his Koffing beginning to split up.

Once the Koffings had split up, moving about the room to create a smokescreen. Unfortunately, while the group couldn't see the Koffings, they were able to see the remaining flames on Flare and took the opportunity to cover him in Sludge, leaving the Pokemon to yelp in surprise. "Vaporeon, find Flare and use Aqua Ring," Jen ordered, coughing a bit from the smoke. Vaporeon did as told, going off toward Flare and releasing enough water to envelop the eon Pokemon in a protective, hollow sphere of water. "Hold the Aqua Ring up, Vaporeon." Jen continued, looking to either side to try and find Ecco. Unknowingly, a Koffing attempted to attack her as well. Before the attack could make contact, Dusknoir had jumped out of her shadow to uppercut the ball of poisonous gas, causing the Pokemon to hit the ceiling and fall down with a thud in front of the two. "Thanks Dusknoir," Jen sighed, getting over the shock of her ghost Pokemon coming out of no where without warning.

Flare scowled, the poisonous sludge beginning to weigh him down. As the ring of water surrounded him, he lifted his head to see Vaporeon working to keep him safe. He gave a small smile before proceeding to shake off the as much of the sludge as he could. Meanwhile, Ecco was able to locate Jen as the smoke began to dissipate. "Thanks for the Assist." He said, giving her a smile similar to his pokemon's. Petrel's enraged face was able to be seen as the smoke finally cleared out, "That's it! I've had it with you two!" He snarled pointing at the recovering Flareon and his aide. "Koffing, go after them and use self destruct!" He yelled, his pokemon charging towards the two. Flare's ears caught the order as he finished removing the sludge from his fur. Eyeing the approaching Koffing with gnashed teeth, he took a moment to assess the situation. Realizing he was too close to attack and set off with a fire attack, he was left with one option. He turned to Vaporeon, and charged towards her, ultimately pushing her out of the way and taking the brunt of the explosion. Ecco watched in horror as the events unfolded, clenching his fists tightly. As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Flare could be seen laying on his side, his eyes barely managing to stay open. "Petrel-!" Ecco growled, wishing to tackle the now nervous Rocket to the ground.

Jen smiled at Ecco, nodding at his thanks At the order of the Pokemon's suicidal attack, Dusknoir did his best to cover the two trainers, in case of the destruction that would proceed after the attack. Once the poisonous ball of air had blown up, Petrel was left quivering, taking steps back until he hit the wall with no where to run. Meanwhile, Vaporeon was getting up, in a state of disbelief from the Koffing's attack order to Flare tackling the eon out of the way. The water eon walked back over to the struggling Flare, giving a sad "Va," before enshrouding the two in a new Aqua Ring, being smaller than the last. As a result, the hollow-insides of the sphere was a small space for the two eons. The water gave a soft, white glow as the healing process began to take place; even some of the water began to evaporate from both the healing and Flare's high body temperature. As the Aqua Ring began working, Vaporeon laid down next to Flare at his paws, seeming the utmost grateful for his decision.

Ecco closed his eyes and sighed, not wasting his energy on Petrel. Looking over at Vaporeon caring for Flare, a smile returned to his face. Getting lost in thought only a moment or two, Ecco's expression became serious as he approached the quivering man. "Now, if you'd listened you may not have been in danger of losing your rank. I want you to tell us how to open that gate, and I don't want any lies or tricks." He said, crossing his arms as he walked closer. Petrel began chuckling deliriously to himself, "I can't help you with that." He said, shaking his head and throwing his hands into the air. Ecco scowled, his Raichu beinning to become impatient as his cheeks discharging small amounts of electricity. Upon seeing this, the nervous Rocket's tone changed, "The real director has the key, and he's not even here." Petrel sighed, "He's being held below the Goldenrod Department Store." He added, taking a moment to light the cigarette that still sat in his mouth. "That's all I've got. Now I'll be taking my leave." He said, pushing past the trainer and his pokemon.

Jen couldn't help but glare at the Rocket executive as he passed her, returned his fallen Pokemon, and walked down the stairs; acting completely calm and indifferent about his loss. _What an actor..._ After a moment, the trainer sighed and looked over at the two eons as well, a smile flashing across her face before disappearing again. "It's gonna be hard getting into the Goldenrod Store, there was a huge group there before. Guess we know why now..." Jen sighed, looking up at her Dusknoir as she thought. Then she remembered an important detail about the city. "But, there's gotta be a reason why he said under and not _in _the store... I think I've got an idea," Jen continues, glancing over at the near, non-existant Aqua Ring as her Vaporeon finishes healing Flare. After that, she grabbed another Pokeball from her side to release her golden pup, Growlithe. The pup barked playfully and wagged his fluffy tail, before realizing that they were in a serious situation. "Come on Growlithe," Jen encouraged, bringing the fire type over to the director's table. After some rummaging, she found an extra tie in the desk's drawers and held it out for the pup to sniff. After a few moments, the fire type barked again and began sniffing the ground, his tail wagging with excitement along the way. "Ready to go?" Jen asked, her Dusknoir nodding and sinking back into her shadow, as well as her Vaporeon sitting back up again, ready to move as well, sometimes looking down at the laying Flare.

After figuring out what Jen was up to, Ecco began to ready himself and his pokemon to leave with the others. Meanwhile, Flare mustered his remaining strength, shakily getting to his feet and struggling to keep balanced. All the while, his trainer stood watching with a smile. "That's it boy." He said, knowing that his pokemon wished to do this by himself. "Sorry I don't have anything to make you feel better…" He said with a sigh. Flare shook his head, as if to say "It's fine," as he gave his trainer a confident smirk. Returning the expression, Ecco turned towards Jen and her pokemon, "Alright, we're ready. Lead the way." He said as he watched Zapcannon join the Growlith in it's pursuit.

Before the group continued on, Jen quickly handed Ecco a root. "This'll help Flare feel better faster. With all the battles ahead, we really don't have the opportunity to have tired Pokemon," Jen mentions, handing the root over to Ecco and watching him feed the root to Flare. Once Flare was taken care of, Jen chased after Growlithe with Vaporeon at her heels. After a few minutes of sneaking through the sleeping streets of Goldenrod and seeing a few Police officers being out making arrests or having battles, the group finally made it to run down looking building, the entrance to the Underground tunnel of Goldenrod. _It just had to be here, huh?_ After a few moments of hesitation, the group entered the building and descended the stairs into the tunnel. Following Growlithe some more, the group eventually came to a halt at an open door. Jen exchanged a look with Ecco before sneaking into the next room. The room was a vast generator room, the lights above flickering from the lack of maintenance. Most importantly, there were voices that could be heard beyond the generator the group were behind. Jen came to a silent halt, turning back to Ecco upon hearing the voices before creeping up to the edge of the generator. Jen quickly peeked around the corner to spot more generators lined across the hall and a group of a half dozen Rocket grunts in the middle of the room. Most of their conversation consisted of the Director and the other employees, as well as how invincible they felt about no trainers coming by. "There's six Rockets, wanna go first, Ecco?"

Ecco nodded, "Leave it to us." He said, eyeing both of his pokemon. Flare pawed at the ground eagerly, ready to charge at any moment as the herb began to kick in. Just as well, Zapcannon responded by wagging his whip-like tail erratically and moving up a bit towards his trainer. Taking a moment to think, Ecco whispered orders to them to which they both nodded. Zapcannon took the lead this time, charging the group of Rockets with sparking yellow cheeks. Stopping short, he began to form a small blue ball of pure electricity. As it got larger, the group reached for their pokeballs, sending out a variety of pokemon similar to that of those that have already been seen used by Rockets. As the ball finished growing, The electric pokemon tossed it lightly into the air, only to jump after it. Letting out a cry, he folded his body and flipped forward, bringing his tail down on the orb, sending it plummeting to the ground in front of the Rockets and their pokemon. The resulting debris and dust created an opening for Flare's assault. He started towards the group, his fangs coating themselves in a crimson flame.

As a result of Zapcannon's attack, both the Rockets and their Pokemon can be heard coughing and yelping in pain. Once the debris began to clear and Flareon's attacks were well underway, it was then Jen's turn at the Rockets. "Vaporeon, use Aqua Jet, Dusknoir, use Shadow Sneak," Jen ordered as the shadow beneath her sped off into the fading debris. Her Vaporeon wasn't quite as fast, but quickly enveloped herself in water before speeding off. Both of Jen's Pokemon were bouncing off of the opponents left and right, even with the debris now dispersed. Several of the Rockets were on the ground already, others were up and tossing more Pokeballs as Pokemon fainted. Unfortunately, Vaporeon's Aqua Jet began fading fast, before getting stuck in the middle of a group of Rocket Pokemon. Vaporeon stood dumbfounded for a moment before taking a weak fighting stance and letting out a small, timid "Va," before a Rattata took the first opportunity. "Vaporeon, Acid Armor," Jen called out, a little too late. Vaporeon got the first hit, but had melted into a puddle of water as the other Pokemon jumped after for revenge.

Kicking off of a Grunt, Flare took a moment to see how the others were faring. After catching a glimpse of the group assaulting Vaporeon, he sneered. Fire could be seen building through gnashed teeth, followed shortly after by a cry and a wave of searing flames. The blast began spread in five directions as it made it's way towards the group, forming what could almost be called a star. Moments later, the blast made contact with the pokemon, causing many to be knocked back a distance, and others to be burned harshly. Satisfied with the attack, he assumed a readied stance as he stared down the remaining grunts and their pokemon. Ecco nodded, before turning to Zapcannon, "Alright Zap, Use charge and build up as much electricity as you can." He said, his pokemon letting out a small "Rai!" as he began to glow with the intake of electricity. "Now, Volt Tackle!" He shouted, as his pokemon smirked, darting at any remaining foes with blinding speed.

Once Flare's fire type attack was done, the puddle that was Vaporeon shimmered and trickled across the floor. When Flare stepped up to face off against more of the Rocket's Pokemon, the puddle would refrain from the fire-types paws as to not bother him. As Flare readied himself, another Pokemon prepared an attack on the unsuspecting fire type. Vaporeon leapt out of its puddle and blasted a strong burst of water at the enemy. From then on, Vaporeon worked to cover Flare's blind spots while Flare covered hers. Meanwhile, Jen looked on at the two eons, going from worried to relieved then moved onto watching Dusknoir, who took it upon himself to hold onto a few enemies to make them easier for Zapcannon to pick off. Not too long after, the grunts ran out of Pokemon and began returning a number of them to their respective Pokeballs while other grunts were unconscious from the after math of the battle. When the grunts were done gathering their Pokemon, a number ran past the group while a seldom few called to fall back, presumably to where the hostage was located.

"Alright, don't let up!" Ecco shouted, his pokemon both responding positively. Giving a nod to his teammates, Flare began to move up to continue exerting pressure on the retreating grunts. Zapcannon followed behind the others slowly, assuring safety from the sides and rear. Making their way through the room, the group came to a door at the south end. Entering the adjacent room, it was apparent that it had been used for storage of some kind, as large, unopened crates were scattered around. Using the opportune surroundings to their advantage, the group leaned on the side of a crate, taking a moment to strategize. "Everyone seems to be regrouping, so we have a small window of opportunity where there will be a lack of security." Ecco said, motioning for his pokemon to come close for inspection of health. "If at all possible, we should avoid confrontation so they can get a chance to rest." He explained, checking Flare for any wounds as Zapcannon waited patiently.

Jen checked her Pokemon as well when Ecco had started; while Dusknoir needed a break, Vaporeon was raring to go. "Yeah, we should try to sneak by, they need a break," Jen agreed, thanking then returning her two Pokemon soon after. Although, if we do get caught, I'm the one thats gonna battle, your Pokemon just fought a lot. Jen waited for Ecco to return Flare before the group moved on through, what seemed like, a storage room. Occasionally, a Grunt would come along, expecting to see the group come by, instead the group would hide and go around the boxes to sneak by. Not too long after, a group of hostages were in sight; one of them being the Radio Tower owner. To the trainer's dismay, he was being guarded by a few Rockets. The head of the small group was familiar to Jen, a guy about her age with light blue hair stood giving orders. At times, the Rocket Executive would inquire on the progress of finding the group, being followed soon after with a scowl; his name was Proton. "What should we do?" Jen whispered, predicting another battle coming their way. Seeing as how Zapcannon appeared to be tired from the previous group, it appeared obvious what was going to happen.

Ecco sidled along the side of the box, nudging Jen out of the way softly as he peeked around the edge to catch a glimpse of the situation. After a good minute or two, he let out a sigh, turning back to Jen. "It doesn't look like they're going anywhere soon…" He said, resting his arms on his knees. Immersing himself in thought, he tried to figure out the best way to go about attacking. No ideas came easily, and surely there would be patrols coming around shortly. Pressure began to set in, and his train of thought was interrupted by the repetitive sound of water droplets hitting the floor from air vents above. An image flashed through his mind and he turned to Jen, "Vaporeon's Acid Armor would be a perfect way to sneak in without being noticed. From there she may be able to begin the attack with a surpise…But…" He said, gazing upward blankly, "That wouldn't be enough. We need a second wave to rush in and attack while they're staggered." He said knowing full well that they were running out of pokemon who were able to fight for extended periods of time. "Who do we have left? Zapcannon has enough strength left for a few more attacks, and Flare has been known to push through to the very end… But I don't want to push this on them anymore." He turned his gaze back to Jen, awaiting a report on her side.

Jen nodded, agreeing with Vaporeon's sneak attack, but sighed at the thought of whether Vaporeon could do just fine or if it wasn't enough. The trainer swiftly snatched the old Pokeball that the water-type awaited inside, looking at the chipped paint and scratches that the device adorned. She was thinking about her own Pokemon, who needed a break and who would at least _obey_ her, there was only one chance that they have here. Especially since the Pokemon Center was being heavily guarded. Even if it was nearby, would they even have a chance with their worn out Pokemon if something were to happen? Not to mention the fact that most, if not all, of the Rockets they have beaten thus far may be there getting their own Pokemon healed. She glanced over to the guards again, assessing the situation and even trying to get a good look between the guards and the hostages; doing her best to judge whether or not their Pokemon _could_ get their attacks in without hurting them. After a few moments, Jen looked up at the ceiling, gazing up at the condensation from the ceiling that would drip down every so often, as if the answer to their problem was written in the droplets. _Nidoking could have helped quite a bit with using Ice Beam to freeze the guards in place, or... Thats it! _"Ecco, normally I would suggest that Zapcannon should have more time to rest, but would he have enough in him for one more attack?" She asked, doing her best to keep herself talking in a whisper. "He could shock them after Vaporeon gets the guards soaked, that ought to do it. If that doesn't take care of it, then... I'll have to see if Nidoking's willing to cooperate," She added, feeling more doubtful at the end as Nidoking's cooperation was always uncertain.

Zapcannon's ears twitched at the mention of his name, and he listened to Jen's suggestion. Wishing to help further, he assumed a readied stance despite his fatigue. Ecco didn't seem too convinced, but decided to have faith in his long-time companion. "Alright, just make sure you watch yourself out there, Zap…" He said, checking on the positions of the Grunts one more time. "Alright, whenever you two are ready." He whispered back to Jen, waving them on as he focused on the guard's movements. Meanwhile, Zapcannon inched closer to his trainer, awaiting the order to attack.

"Only if you're sure, Ecco, if a battle breaks out, I'll be taking over either way. I have more usable Pokemon than you late in the game," Jen mentions, hesitating a few seconds to see if the trainer or the electric mouse would back off, but neither did just that. With that response, or lack there of, Jen turned to Vaporeon for her instructions, "I want you to use Hydro Pump on the guards." The water eon nodded, peering over the corner of their hiding spot, waiting to act out the plan. "After that I would like it if Zapcannon could give them a shock, that ought to take care of the rest of 'em," Jen mentions again. She then joined Vaporeon, peering from around the corner as well, a small group of half a dozen grunts were there, talking and sometimes checking their surroundings. How they never thought to check behind their hiding place was somewhat bizarre to Jen, but she paid no heed to the thought. "Vaporeon, use Acid Armor to get into the vent, then go to the vent closest to them before hitting them with all ya got, okay?" The water eon nodded once, before evaporating and sneaking into a vent nearby. Once Vaporeon disappeared, Zapcannon trotted up, preparing himself for Vaporeon's move. Time seemed to pass by slowly while waiting for the attack, until the burst of water shot out of the vent above the grunts, leaving Zapcannon to do his job.

(New World Fool)

With the Rockets disoriented and soaked, Zapcannon released a small amount of electricity along the wet floor. Conducting along the water and to the grunts, the small jolt was just enough to knock them off their feet and out cold. With this burst of energy the electric pokemon fell back, the fighting beginning to take its toll on him. Ecco moved up to aid his pokemon, making sure not to take his eyes off the downed grunts. With a few minutes past and the men still down, it seemed everything was okay. It was then that footsteps could be heard coming towards the area. Ecco turned an ear in that direction, thinking for a moment. _Proton…! _He thought, his relief quickly turning to dread. The blue haired youth stood for a moment, taking in what had happened before eyeing the two trainers and their pokemon. "I would have expected no less from you two…" He said, with an agitated chuckle. "However if you think I'm going to be beaten as easily, then you are sorely mistaken. I have a reputation around here as I'm sure you are aware." He said, directing the comment towards Ecco, "…And one that you will soon come to learn about." He finished, sneering at Jen. Ecco scowled, standing in front of his pokemon and clenching his fists.

Jen couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat as she heard the footsteps, not to mention the utter dismay of the group getting caught. "Ecco, it's my turn to battle this time, make sure that whoever this guy is doesn't run off with any of the hostages, just be ready," The trainer whispered, recomposing herself as to not display her emotions in front of her next battler. "Well, I can't say that I've ever battled you before," Jen begins, her water eon jumping out of the vent as a jet of water, then her body taking her solid form. "But, I'm something else worth fearing, especially since we've come this far," Jen finishes, fixing her bangs at the end, expecting the forthcoming battle.

Ecco lowered his guard and nodded at Jen. Scooping up his tired pokemon in his arms, he walked to the side and stood guard by the hostages. Not seeing it as a threat, Proton simply shrugged and removed one of his pokeballs from his belt. "Big talk from a little lady, hm?" He said releasing a blue bat pokemon from its pokeball. "Let's see if you can back it up then, shall we?" He said, snapping his fingers and pointing at Vaporeon. With this gesture, the bat pokemon let out a shriek from its large mouth and darted towards the water type.

(FFVII Boss Battle)

Jen was unfazed by the Rocket, even at the sight of a basic, Rocket Pokemon. _We can do this, I know it. I've beaten one league and am on my second... this'll be easy. _"Acid Armor, then hit 'em with an Ice Beam!" Jen responded, then her water type got to work. Vaporeon vaporized into a mist in time for the large bat to swoop in, minimizing the damages that she could have suffered. Then the water eon re-solidified to shoot out a blast of ice towards the bat for a super-effective hit.

With the hit only glancing Vaporeon, the bat pokemon was thrown off balance. Flapping it wings fiercely to regain balance, the bat was able to fly just above the beam of frigid ice. Proton wiped his forehead, relieved. "We can't afford to make those mistakes, Golbat!" He shouted, eyeing the opponent and her pokemon. "Now use supersonic!" He ordered, covering his ears. With the command issued, Golbat began to let out a harsh shriek, which over time turned into a pitch so high it was only heard as a piercing ring.

Jen scowled at the attack missing, watching the beam miss the hostages and line the walls with large pieces of ice. Looking over at her poor eon shaking her head in pain as a result of the high pitched screech, the eon kept backing up and up until she found a puddle on the ground from her Hydro Pump earlier. Deciding this was a good idea, the Vaporeon slipped into this puddle so that the awful screech was now a pleasant muffle. At this sight, Jen sighed of relief, contemplating their next move. "Vaporeon, use Aqua Ring!" She shouted, doing her best for her Pokemon to hear her. Then the eon leapt out of the puddle as a jet of water, some of the water on the ground forming around her to produce the bubble of water that now encased the solidified Vaporeon.

Proton scoffed, calling off the supersonic screech, "Golbat, launch a toxic attack at that puddle!" He ordered, hoping to pollute the water pokemon's hiding spot and ultimately her healing source. With a few flaps and a slight draw back, Golbat thrust forward, releasing a purple sludge from his gaping mouth and straight at the puddle on the floor. As the sludge contaminated the puddle, traces of it began to make their way through the body of water.

Jen gasped upon hearing and watching the move unfold, trying her best to think of what move Vaporeon could use next. "Vaporeon, send the sludge back with a Hydro Pump!" Jen orders, keeping a watchful eye on the sludge spreading on the floor. Responding quickly, the Aqua Ring's shell moved most of the tainted water within and it to the front of the ring, building it up before firing a harsh blast of water towards the bat pokemon's direction.

Proton's eyes widened, "Golbat, get out of there!" He ordered, his pokemon responding the best it could. The stream of water struck the bat's right wing, sending it spiraling out of control and to the floor below. After a few moments, Golbat had begun flapping frantically to shake off any moisture weighing it down, before taking clumsily back to the air. "Keep on your guard Golbat!" Proton said angrily, "Alright, send an Air Cutter directly at it!" He ordered, hoping to blow away the healing rings and even slice at their opponent.

Jen couldn't help but smile at the hit as the battle seemed far more difficult in the beginning of the match. However, the Golbat withstanding Vaporeon's attack had erased the grin soon after. The announcement of Proton's attack had also worried Jen further, as it was near impossible to move the Aqua Ring from one location to another. Even if it were only a mere number of feet from its current location, reconstruction would be required; and that may even expose Vaporeon long enough for a dire hit. "It's best that the ring took the hit," Jen mumbled aloud to herself. As the Golbat began to whip up the air around it for the attack, an idea came to mind. "Vaporeon, take the hit and strike back with Ice Beam!"

The beam of frigid ice tore through the room, entering Golbat's gaping mouth striking the back of it's throat. From there, the ice began to spread out and engulf the entirety of the pokemon's body. Falling to the ground once more and flailing it's wings desperately, the pokemon soon became frozen solid and unable to continue the fight. Proton scowled, "Maybe I underestimated you…" He huffed, returning his frozen pokemon and switching the ball for another. "But this fight isn't over…" He said under his breath, throwing another pokeball in front of him. A bright flash of light revealed a familiar pokemon, a purple mass of two conjoined ball shaped pokemon. Each one bore a skull marking and had vents which spewed forth noxious gasses at a near constant rate. "Let's take care of these punks, Weezing." Proton said with a confident smirk. "Let's get things going with Toxic!" He said as Weezing began to contract it's body and reel back before hurling a purple mass of poisonous sludge at Vaporeon.

"Nice job, Vaporeon! We're almost there!" Jen cheered upon watching Proton withdraw his Pokemon. As a response, Vaporeon took the moment of free time to do a quick flip in the water type's remaining protective shell. Once Proton sent out his second Pokemon, the cheering had ceased and their focus on the battle returned. "Get out of the Aqua Ring and go for a hit with Aqua Jet!" Jen ordered, and, with a quick response, the water fox was soon shooting out of the water's protective shell. Only for the highly toxic sludge to enshroud the Aqua Ring's outter layer, causing the protective shell to disintegrate and spread out on the floor, along with its toxic contents. Meanwhile, Vaporeon was soon at Weezing's position, the water fox dissolved into the water as the jet hit the poison type.

A cloud of purple smog followed Weezing as he was knocked backwards a bit. Shaking his head Proton called out, "Shake it off Weezing we aren't finished yet! Get back in there and use Sludge Bomb while it's off guard!" Weezing let out a hoarse call as it regained composure and began contracting its body. Within seconds, the pokemon's body had shrunken considerably before expanding once more to launch a deadly sphere of noxious brown and purple liquid at Vaporeon.

"Watch out Vaporeon, be careful!" Jen called out, quickly realizing the urgency of the situation in this battle. Despite Vaporeon managing to escape a number of their opponents poisonous onslaughts, the water in the room that Vaporeon had been using to shield herself heal with were being tainted by the same poisonous sludge. In other words, it's only a matter of time until Vaporeon's water make-up are exposed to the tainted water in the room. The water fox seemed to know this as well, trying her best to find a dry patch on the floor, only to get struck by Weezing's Sludge Bomb. The attack caused Vaporeon to slide back a number of feet from the strength of the blow. The water fox breathed heavily before regaining it's battle stance.  
Unfortunately, Vaporeon's face was a harsh red, revealing the full extent of her injuries. "Vaporeon, return!" The trainer called, with a flash of red light, the Pokemon was no longer on the field and back within her Pokeball. "I'm so sorry Vaporeon, you did great," Jen whispered before placing the Pokeball onto her belt before contemplating the next Pokemon she should send out, knowing from the very beginning that the only Pokemon to send out was the only Pokemon on her team that could resist poison type attacks. With a great sigh, Jen took off another Pokeball from her belt, clicking the center button as she held the Pokeball up. "Please listen to me, the team needs you this time," She whispered to herself; after a deep breath, Jen tossed the Pokeball onto the field revealing a blinding white light before taking the form of Nidoking. Upon entering the battlefield, the Pokemon took the moment to bellow a roar. "Nidoking, Vaporeon does not have much time, she's badly injured, but I need you to finish this battle off," Jen instructed, the Pokemon refusing to turn and face her as she spoke. Despite the deterrence, she continued on; "Just this one time, listen to me... will you?" After a moment, Nidoking nodded, pounding his claws together and bellowing a louder roar. The sight brought tears to the trainer's eyes, but then she refocused on the battle at hand. "Charge full force at Weezing, then use Sucker Punch!" Within an instant, the large Pokemon ran toward the opponent, breaking the floor as he ran. As he got closer to the Pokemon, Nidoking's right arm was thrown back, emitting a black aura from his arm whilst going at the poison type.

Proton smirked at his small victory, but it faded as the large Nidoking stood before them. "I didn't expect this much resistance out of a couple of pests…" He sighed as Nidoking began its attack. "Weezing, hang in there for one more hit and come back with Assurance!" He yelled as their large foe drew back his arm. Weezing once more let out a raspy wheeze before bracing itself for the hit. As the blow connected, the round pokemon was knocked to back towards Proton where he sat dizzily for a moment. "That's it Weezing, counter it now!" Proton yelled as his pokemon struggled to regain its composure. After a few moments, Weezing had repositioned itself once more and began to contract its body slowly. At this point the gasses that were constantly being emitted by Weezing had begun to come out in irregular bursts. "Hold together! Go!" Proton pushed as his pokemon charged at Nidoking.

The poisonous gas Pokemon was enveloped with the same dark aura as Nidoking's arm had been previously as Weezing neared Nidoking. "Nidoking, take the hit and soak it with Aqua Tail!" Jen ordered, sounding rather confident in her Pokemon's abilities. Once the order was issued, the remaining, tarnished water on the floor swirled around Nidoking's tail. Meanwhile, Weezing's Assurance made contact, causing Nidoking to yelp from the blow. In return, Nidoking attempted to grab hold of the Pokemon for the attack.

Nidoking grabbed hold of Weezing and positioned itself to deliver the hit. Proton scowled as he realized that he was outmatched. "Weezing, It's over! Destiny Bond, now!" He yelled out as he lowered his head. With this command, Weezing began to glow with a bright light that soon dimmed and proceeded to light up Nidoking's Figure. Taking the hit, the poisonous pokemon hit the floor with a crash and rolled towards its trainer, stopping at his feet. "We've done all we can." Proton said, as he returned his pokemon and looked up to see if their final attack was successful or not.

(FFVII Mako Reactor  watch?v=Z3xsW8udZ-w&amp;list=PLFAE4F44C043C0B52&amp;index=197 )

Soon after Nidoking's figure had dimmed down, the poison type collapsed from the Destiny Bond attack. The sight of her Pokemon, obeying and trusting her for the first time after many battles, was rendered unconscious due to an unforeseen move. The sole fact that Nidoking's trust will no longer be for her when he reawakens troubled her more than the fact that her team won. Jen soon snapped out of it and ran over to her Pokemon's side, searching through her bag for her bundle of herbs as she did. "I am so sorry, Nidoking," She said, fighting back tears as she placed the revival herb into his mouth, and closed it. "I'm sorry." The trainer said one last time before returning Nidoking to his Pokeball, standing back up before Proton. As she did, Jen took off the beaten up Pokeball on her necklace and released her Dragonite. Jen remained silent as she stood before their opponent while her dragon stood waiting for another Pokemon to be released.

"Save it." Proton scoffed, crossing his arms. "You beat me, so you can go on your way. However judging from the state of you two and your pokemon it doesn't seem wise." He continued as he turned to walk away. Now a bit more rested, Zapcannon made his way over to Jen and began to nuzzle his head against her leg. Not far behind, Ecco approached her from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did great Jen." He said, not knowing much else other than she was upset. "Here, let's get these hostages taken care of." He said as he made his way over to the group, and began freeing up the director. With each freed member, chatter could be heard among them along with thanks directed towards the trainers.

Jen scoffed at Proton, finding that both of their teams still had enough energy to take on the rest of Team Rocket. As Proton left the room, she couldn't help but glare as he made his exit, even when being comforted by Zapcannon. It even took Jen a moment to take her eyes away from Proton's exit before joining Ecco in freeing up the hostages. Even Zapcannon and Dragonite helped saving a few hostages before standing behind their trainers. Once all the thanks had been said, the group had quieted down as the director, a short man wearing a black suit stepped forward. "On behalf of my staff and the workers in the Goldenrod Department store, we thank both of you trainers for working so hard to save us and the city," He began, bowing before both trainers before resuming the conversation. "Of course it is nice to see you again, Jen, but it seems like you'll have to share your next interview with your partner, hm?" The Director continued, nodding to Ecco before continuing on, realizing now was not the time for idle chit-chat. "However, to the point, you two don't seem finished with your rescue mission or, at least, from what the Rocket said earlier."  
"That would be correct," Jen sighed, trying her best to not let the Rocket get the better of her. Unfortunately, amidst the battling and the stress from facing the executive, she had forgotten what they were looking for, hoping that Ecco would know the answer at the very least as the female trainer wanted to focus more on cooling off than talking before a whole group of people.

Ecco's attention drifted mildly as the director gave his thanks, returning only once the nod to him had been given. "If it's alright, we'd like to be given permission to access the uppermost floor of the Radio Tower." He said, placing a hand in his pocket. "We plan on putting a stop to this." He said, knowing full well how strange it must seem to be hearing this from someone dressed in the uniform of the very enemy they were planning on taking down. The director put a hand up with a smirk, "Say no more." He said, searching his pockets frantically before pulling out a card and handing it to Ecco. "If Jen trusts you, then that's good enough for me." He said as he brushed off his jacket. Ecco nodded and placed the key in his back pocket. "Thank you." He said, turning his attention to Jen. "Anything you'd like to add?"

Before Jen could suggest their next plan of action, another man in the group of hostages stepped forward and got the trainer's attention. "Actually, if we may, I was hoping that my workers and I could assist you two as well, most particularly Jen and her two Pokemon," He said, nodding to Jen for a moment before continuing. "As the owner of the Goldenrod Department store, we would like to heal your Pokemon with our products, free of charge. This is normally not something that the store would offer, but as the Pokemon Center may possibly be under Team Rocket control, it would be best to rest at the store before heading back to the Radio Tower," The store owner continued, seeming rather hopeful that the two trainers would take up on his hospitality. "Would you be okay with that, Ecco? I'd love to finish battling these guys, but Nidoking's in bad shape and Vaporeon might be badly poisoned, too. I'd rather not risk anymore injuries to my team, especially if they're all tired," Jen stated with concern, crossing her arms as she considered her team's condition.

Ecco gave a nod, "Sounds good." He stated, thinking about the status of much of his team as well. "Besides, it'd be rude to refuse such an offer." He added with a small smile. Zapcannon stood at Ecco's feet, swinging his long tail back and forth at the thought of resting. The group began to make their way through the maze of large boxes and back towards the first floor of the basement. Once there it was a short walk across another storage room to an elevator door. The Director took a look around the room as they waited for the elevator to arrive, "Hopefully we can put this whole mess behind us and return to the way things were shortly." He said, shaking his head with a sigh. With a loud 'Ding' the elevator doors opened everyone got on one at a time. A few seconds passed and the group arrived on the first floor of the Department Store. A collective sigh of relief came from the employees as they saw that the store was no longer under the watch of Team Rocket.


	8. Rocket Saga (Part 3)

(Final Fantasy VII – Tifa's Theme  watch?v=TxQqQRuE0ug)

Upon the group filing out of the elevator, the owner of the department store selected a few employees to head to the second floor before speaking to the rest of the group. "Everyone's welcome to stay at the store until the city is safe again, so please feel free to make yourselves comfortable where ever you would like. One of the upper floors has TV and home sets, so feel free to watch a few shows if you'd like, as well," the store manager began, pausing as a few of the hostages began to disperse through the store. Then the store manager, a few employees, and the Radio Tower director refocused their attention onto the two trainers. "Feel free to release all of your Pokemon, once the group from upstairs come back, we'll be able to take care of each of your Pokemon," he continued on, smiling as he did. Jen nodded before releasing her Dragonite, Growlithe, Dusknoir, and Darkrai, deciding to wait for the employees to come back before taking out Vaporeon and Nidoking in their critical conditions. While they waited, Jen played catch with her golden Growlithe, trying to take her mind off of the previous battle.

Ecco grabbed four pokeballs off of his belt and released the pokemon inside. One after another the four pokemon appeared. First was Flareon, followed by Luxray, then Pidgeot and finally Salamence. Zapcannon joined them and the pokemon grouped together and awaited treatment patiently. While waiting, Ecco moved towards one of the walls and had a seat on the floor. He rested an elbow on his knee and used his hand to support his head as he watched Jen throw the small ball to her pokemon, having him return it each time. His attention soon turned to Jen's expression, noticing she seemed a bit conflicted. For a few moments his gaze was frozen on her, before he scoffed silently to himself and turned his head. By this time, the Director and his staff had finished with Jen's pokemon and began on Ecco's.

Once her Pokemon were finished being healed and the employees moved onto Ecco, Jen had put away Growlithe's toy and checked up on each of her Pokemon, returning each of them afterwards before getting to Nidoking. The trainer paused before checking the Pokemon, unsure of whether Nidoking would have allowed her to. "Are you mad at me?" She asked after a few moments of checking on him, making sure that none of the horns on his back were in the process of breaking. The Pokemon snorted in response, shifting his stance every few moments. "I'm sorry, but how was I supposed to know the Weezing knew that? Honestly, you could have handled an Explosion _way_ better, I know you could, it was just bad luck," Jen refuted, then sighing a moment afterward, going back around to look at the ground type in the eye. "Please don't give up on me, we can do better. After all, we wanna beat Amy and her Absol at the Silver Conference, don't we?" After a few moments, the Pokemon nodded, much to Jen's surprise. "We're going to win, I know it, are ya with me, Nidoking?" She asked, getting more excited and pumped up as she talked. The Nidoking belted out a roar, which caught a few of the passerby's attention. Before she could stop herself, Jen hugged her Pokemon quickly before stepping back. "I promise I won't let you down, thank you Nidoking," Jen added, smiling as she did. As a result, her Nidoking couldn't help but smile as well before being returned to his Pokeball like the others. Afterwards, Jen walked over to Ecco and his group, waiting for his group to finish being healed before moving out.

Ecco remained sitting as Jen walked over, his head still turned away. It wasn't long after that one of the employees came out to report that Ecco's pokemon had been healed and were on their way out. Zapcannon was the first to come sprinting out of the other room, the others not far behind. Pushing himself to his feet, Ecco walked over to his pokemon and gave them each a small gesture of affection before respectively returning them to their pokeballs, with the exception of Zapcannon. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before turning to Jen once more, "Ready when you are." He said, placing a hand in his pocket that held the card key.

Jen nodded to Ecco in response, before turning to the store's manager and employees. "Thank you for healing our Pokemon, we'll be on our way now. If you can, try to get in contact with the police outside of the city, we need to catch these guys to prevent another disaster like this again," Jen stated, pausing for a moment before continuing. "If you need to contact us, the Director has my number to my PokeGear, so that'll do. Thank you again, we're heading out," Jen added, smiling at the end. She waved once as everyone wished them luck, then headed out of the building's door and into the night. While waiting for Ecco, she couldn't help but look up at the night sky and its unusually bright stars.

Ecco finished thanking the staff as well before joining Jen outside. He stood next to her for a moment, also gazing up. For a moment it was as if the events that enshrouded the city and its inhabitants had come to a halt as the stars shone brightly above. Having not experienced this kind of peacefulness in a while, Ecco couldn't bring himself to move. Seconds turned to minutes as the trainers stood beneath the stars. Visions of times long ago flooded his mind, projecting themselves against the blackness of the night sky. Shaking his head, he snapped back into reality and began walking in the direction of the Radio Tower, remaining silent.

Jen hadn't moved when Ecco began heading in the tower's direction, but it didn't take long to catch up to him either. After a few moments of walking in silence, Jen spoke up, "You know, with Goldenrod being such a big city, no one really sees the stars like this with all the lights," She began, pointing out that every few street lights were on instead of all the lights and buildings brightening up the large city. "I wonder how many people in this city are seeing all of these stars for the first time," Jen added as they continued on their way to the Radio Tower. The Magnet Train's railroad was in her line of sight now, soon they would be running into more battles again. Hopefully, this time without as serious injuries as the last one.

Ecco continued walking, but gazed over at Jen for a moment when she began to speak. With his mind racing, he couldn't manage to respond with more than just a simple "Hm…" as they approached the Radio Tower. He looked up once more to take in the rare sight a final time before they entered through the doors and into the Tower.

(Final Fantasy VII Infiltrating Shinra Tower -  watch?v=mpQ4F7B8GFg&amp;list=PLF0835B27DEF5B5DA)

The trainers took a look around the lobby, only to find that it had been left in a state of disarray, papers strewn about and drawers wide open. "They've gutted the place…" Ecco said, taking a few steps towards the middle of the room. "The order must have been given to evacuate to the uppermost floors. He's waiting for us." He said flatly. Zapcannon sensed a great deal of tension in his trainer's voice, letting out a small cry as he looked up at him.

Jen looked over the first floor's mess as he spoke, walking slowly to the staircase up as she did. "The poor Director's got his work cut out for him now," Jen sighed, scanning the room at a different angle from the first step of the stairs. The room was an utter mess, that's that. Whether or not the Rockets tried to make it seem more like a group of robbers was a possibility or... "Hey, Ecco, do you think Team Rocket was after something else here? Like, stealing anything in particular or no?" She asked, leaning against the staircase's railing as she did.

"I've only heard rumors…" He said, as they began to ascend the staircase to the second floor. "But the more I think about it the more it makes sense…" He added as they made their way to the next flight of stairs. "The rumor goes that a spy had caught a glimpse of the Director and some staff members picking up what looked like the feather of one of the legendary bird pokemon of Jhoto." He continued, taking the first step towards the third floor as he spoke. "I assume that's what they'd be after." He finished, taking a moment to gather himself as he waited for Jen.

Upon hearing Ecco mention one of the feathers made Jen's heart skip a beat. To even imagine Team Rocket getting a hold of a legendary Pokemon of that scale was terrifying! More so when she thought back to the Director, a man that would proudly boast about finding not one, but _two _different feathers of the legendary Gold and Silver Pokemon. He even went as far as wearing them as pins nearly every day, and yet the trainer didn't even notice that they were missing from his casual wear. Without a second thought, Jen started up the stairs for the fourth floor, more than ready to take on anyone standing in her way. "If this is true, then we've gotta make sure that we get it, or them, back. Especially if they know where to find the ceremonial bells, they can't be allowed to get their hands on a legendary Pokemon again," Jen stated firmly.

Ecco began to move faster as Jen's pace became hurried, trying to keep up with her. Before they knew it, they were face to face with the doors that blocked the way to the top of the Tower, and ultimately the room where the broadcast was coming from. Ecco paused, reaching into his pocket to retrieve the card key given to them by the Director. He held it tightly for a few seconds before finally sliding it through the lock. The door made a loud noise, confirming that the key had worked as they slid open to reveal the path to the final floors. Ecco glanced at Jen, giving a nod as he took the first step.

Jen followed behind Ecco, climbing the steps quickly in order to meet their opponents at the same time. As the team reached the top, the simple hallway led to another staircase. It was, to Jen's surprise, an empty hall, no Rocket Grunts on guard duty whatsoever. However, before the team could continue down the hall, the sound of high heels walking down a flight of steps were heard until another Team Rocket Executive appeared before the team at the end of the staircase. It was Ariana from Mahagony Town, sported with her Murkrow upon her shoulder, both the Rocket Executive and the Pokemon eyed the two trainers before them. "Ah, yes, we've been anticipating your arrival; the meddlesome Champion from Sinnoh and the betraying captain," She greeted the two trainers, speaking in an unusual calmness. "So, to which do I owe the pleasure of battling this time?" Ariana questioned, looking between the two trainers for a moment for an answer.

Ecco jumped a bit as he heard the female executive's voice break the silence. Realizing it was Ariana, he greeted her with a sneer. "Hmph, if it isn't Archer's lapdog." He jabbed back. "What did you say?!" Ariana shouted, becoming flustered in response to the quip. "You heard me." Ecco said with a scowl, not taking his eyes off of her. Taking a moment to cool herself down, Ariana laughed to herself. "I guess this means you're going to battle me then?" She said as she grabbed a pokeball off her waist. Ecco simply scoffed at her remark, "You know as well as I do that Archer is waiting for me." He said, gazing past her and up the final set of stairs. Ariana let out a harsh cackle, "My! You're pretty eager to be crushed, now aren't you?" By this point in the argument, Zapcannon's cheeks sparked wildly as electricity filled his body. Ecco's expression twisted into a sneer once more, "Shut up and move aside." He snarled. "If that's what you want…" Ariana said with a shrug and a smirk. With this, Ecco dropped his guard a bit and turned to Jen, "Can you take care of her?" He asked with a sigh as he once again focused on the staircase, "…And I'll deal with Archer." He added.

Without a second thought, Jen reached for a Luxury Ball off of her belt, eagerly awaiting the match as she did moments ago. "Yes, leave it to me," Jen replied, tossing the Luxury ball in front of her. After a flash of bright light and a few sparkles, Growlithe emerged growling at Ariana and ready to battle. "I do believe that she wanted a rematch with me from the hideout. I'll catch up with you later, remember to look for those feathers, okay?" Jen asked, putting the feathers as their number one priority at the current time. "Right." Ecco nodded as he started up the flight of stairs.

Shortly after Jen finished speaking with Ecco, Ariana stared the ex-Rocket down as he dashed past her on the staircase, fighting back the urge to send her Pokemon after him. However, she remained silent and still until the door behind her closed once more. "Let's get this over with," Ariana began, turning her attention to Jen instead. "You should be easier to battle this time. After all, the Johto league champion isn't here to help you out this time," The Team Rocket Excutive continued on, tossing her Pokeball onto the field. After a moment, the blinding light faded to reveal her Arbok, hissing and glaring down the small puppy Pokemon before her, awaiting for his trainer's commands. "This time, you're all alone and once you two are disposed of, the Radio Tower will become the new Rocket Tower. Arbok use Wrap!"  
"Dodge and use Flame Wheel, Growlithe!" Jen ordered, not in the least intimidated by her new opponent. Arbok slammed her tail down, attempting to encircle the small dog. However, Growlithe managed to jump out of the cobra's grasp and began to run full circle around the large snake. Without warning, Arbok swung her tail full force and constricted the poor pup before he could build up enough fire. "Growlithe, use Crunch to get away!" As his trainer ordered, Growlithe bit down on the poison type's tail, managing to jump out of the snake's grasp. "Good boy, now use Flame Wheel again! Watch out for the tail!"  
"Use Poison Sting to put pressure on the mutt, then use Wrap again!" She called out, the Growlithe already building up speed and sparking out small bursts of flames. Arbok quickly got to work, opening her great maw to spray out thousands of needles at the dashing pup. Trying her best to lead Growlithe into her grasp, she slammed her tail onto the ground and attempted to contrict the fire type once more. However, Growlithe at this time had reached full speed and was engulfed in flames. The golden pup managed to jump over the cobra's tail, taking the opportunity to tackle the great poison type. Arbok recoiled in pain from its burns, before refocusing on the target at hand. "Arbok, use Crunch! Do whatever it takes to get rid of this mutt!" She ordered, her newfound frustration breaking through.  
Arbok went straight to work, launching herself at Growlithe with her maw wide open, ready to sink her poisonous fangs into the fire-type. "Counter it with Flamethrower!" Jen ordered. Soon after, Growlithe released a stream of fire at the Arbok, hindering the snake from attacking. "Good work, Growlithe! Now finish this off with Flare-" Jen began, stopping when she saw the Team Rocket Executive return her Pokemon.  
"There is no need to continue this battle, I already know the outcome," Ariana began, putting the Pokeball away before stepping toward Jen and her Pokemon. As she moved closer, Growlithe took the moment to move closer to his trainer and growl at the executive.  
"What...? Why did you stop? Aren't you trying to take control of the tower?" Jen questioned, finding the Rocket's behavior to be one of the most peculiar things she had ever witnessed.  
"Simple," She began, stopping a few steps before Jen. "I already know that your Growlithe isn't your strongest Pokemon, but it has already done significant damage to my Arbok, continuing any further would have been pointless. Do you not remember how empty the tower was when you decided to climb it? After all, we had already put out the order to remove ourselves to a new location." The executive took out a silver box, the size and style that one would put an expensive necklace into, from one of her belt pockets. "It's quite a shame, with your admirable strength, you could have been a high ranking executive in our ranks," Ariana lamented, as she offered the box to Jen.

Jen remained silent for a moment, before taking the box and taking a peak at its contents. There in the middle of the satin lined box laid a forked, silver feather. "Why would you just give this to me so easily? Were the legendaries birds not your focal point?" Jen questioned after closing the box and watching the executive, expecting some sort of catch.  
The Team Rocket Executive shook her head, denouncing Jen's questions, "As it turns out, the legendary Heart and Soul Pokemon are not the strongest Pokemon for us to control. However, they would have been nice to obtain if we won, it is not our biggest lose either. Rather our main objective was to contact Team Rocket's former boss, Giovanni, with the Radio Tower." Ariana began to walk to the stairs, making her exit. "And, don't let that Ecco kid fool you, Archer isn't the one that calls the shots around. As the temporary boss until Giovanni makes his return, _I _am in charge," She stated firmly, her pride of being the temporary boss being held on the line. "Next time we battle, I will be stronger. Until then," Ariana added, before all that could be heard were her heals clicking down the steps until they were out of ear shot.  
Jen stood there a moment, gazing down at the box that she held before her in her hands. Reminiscing on how long ago she had held onto a different item of legend three times before in Sinnoh. And, there she was, holding onto the valuable feather of the sea dragon, Lugia. More over, this was a Pokemon that she actually heard stories about growing up throughout her life and now she was holding it in her hands! After she had her moment, Jen carefully placed the box into her bag and then knelt down to her Pokemon. "You did such a great job, Growlithe, I'm proud of you!" She said, petting the pup as he began to lick her face and wag his tail. "Okay, okay! Come on, we're not done yet! We need to go check up on Ecco!" She said, smiling at Growlithe before getting back up and dashing towards the next floor with Growlithe at her heels.

(Final Fantasy VII – Who Are You?  watch?v=3M-s3piOMbM&amp;list=PLF0835B27DEF5B5DA)

"Right." Ecco nodded as he started up the flight of stairs. Upon reaching the top, there was a small hallway leading to door that was wide open. He continued, walking slowly now. Taking his first step through the door, the entirety of the room came into view. Boasting large pane glass windows all around, the room was similar in shape to a large square with cut corners. In the middle was a large desk and office chair, presumably the director's. However, now there was a familiar figure with turquoise hair occupying the seat instead. He sat facing out the windows opposite the door, "It's about time you showed up." He said, the Houndoom seated next to him beginning to growl. Placing a hand on its head, Archer began to chuckle, "You really are quite the individual..." He paused, looking more towards the ceiling now. "Was this your plan all along?" He questioned, finally spinning the chair around. Ecco's face remained blank, and he stared down Archer, not saying a word. "Or was this all brought about by the reappearance of Jen, hm?" He queried, standing up slowly. Showing a bit of shock at the question, Ecco tried his best to keep his composure. Noticing the small change in expression was enough for Archer to catch on however, "What's the matter, did I strike a nerve?" He chuckled to himself with satisfaction. Ecco sneered, still remaining where he was. "Come now! You must have expected I'd hear about your past sooner or later." He began to approach Ecco now, his Houndoom right behind him. Beginning to get defensive, Zapcannon's cheeks sparked wildly as he arched his body forward, staring down the fire type. "Half the men you became close to, worked with, trusted…" He started, closing the gap between them with each step, "…Were spying on you from day one." He said coldly. With this, Ecco's body began to shake, and his hands balled into fists. Archer smiled menacingly, "Despite all this, I really did give you a chance." He said, the smile being replaces by a serious frown. "I guess I must have a soft spot somewhere." He said with a shrug and a chuckle. "You came to us, downtrodden and seeking power… So I gave it to you." He said, taking a few more steps, until he was directly in front of Ecco. The two stood facing each other, as did their pokemon. "And you thank me by turning on us…" He said, his expression becoming more and more twisted. "I'll make you regret it!" He yelled, abruptly throwing a punch at Ecco's face. Caught off guard, the blow connected with his jaw, sending him staggering to the side a bit. Having waited long enough, Zapcannon began to discharge electricity wildly as he prepared to attack. With blinding speed, Houndoom jumped at the electric pokemon with a snarl as he opened his mouth wide. Zapcannon's attack started towards Archer, but was knocked off course as Houndoom's fangs sank into him. Letting out a growl and mustering as much electricity as he could, Zapcannon began to emit harsh jolts into Houndoom. With each jolt, the fire type sank it's fangs in farther, only growing more fierce. Soon the electricity grew weaker and Zapcannon's body went limp from exhaustion. Satisfied, Houndoom pulled his fangs out and returned to Archer's side. With a smirk, Archer snapped his fingers once more, "Now finish them both off with Flamethrower…" He said as Houndoom drew his head back, fire building in his mouth. Thinking quickly, Ecco grabbed an orange and white pokeball off of his belt and tossed it in front of him. The usual white light erupted from it, and took the shape of a Flareon. It snarled, eyeing Houndoom as he threw his head forward and released a stream of fire. Not budging an inch, Flare stood in the path of the Flamethrower. As it approached him, he closed his eyes as the flames surrounded him. Cutting off the stream, Houndoom eyed the flame covered pokemon with a confident smirk. The flames continued to swirl around Flare, seeming almost attracted to his body. As time passed, the flames began to concentrate in small areas and sink into Flare's crimson red fur. Stealing Houndoom's confidence away, Flare stood unscathed with embers emanating from his body. "Impossible!" Archer snarled, clenching his fist. "I'm guessing you don't know about Flash Fire…" Ecco said, wiping a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Show him Flare, Use Fire Fang!" He yelled, flames similar to those of flamethrower's beginning to coat Flare's fangs as he darted towards Houndoom. Taken by surprise, Houndoom backed up slightly as Flare launched into the air. As he came down, he pushed Houndoom to the ground and sank his teeth into its neck. Howls filled the air as Houndoom struggled to break free. Archer threw his fist back, "Houndoom, get up!" He yelled loudly, his voice barely able to be heard over the howls. Soon, Houndoom's struggling began to lessen as fatigue set in. Much like Zapcannon, all effort had been exhausted and Houndoom slipped into unconsciousness. Flare kicked off of his opponent, and turned to Archer without a moment of hesitation. Archer's eyes widened with fear as Flare readied himself to pounce once more. Ecco's voice called out, "That's enough Flare." He said, signaling for his pokemon to come back. Flare nodded, glaring at Archer a bit longer before walking back to Ecco. "You both did great. Thank you." Ecco said, returning both of his pokemon to their pokeballs. He then turned his attention to Archer once more. "The feathers…" He demanded coldly. Archer scowled, returning Houndoom, "We will not take this defeat lightly…" He said taking out a small golden colored box from his pocket, "We will succeed in contacting Giovanni as we planned…" He continued, approaching Ecco and handing him the box, "And when we do… You will suffer…" He said, continuing toward the exit.

(Final Fantasy VII Main Theme World Map  watch?v=zhxfCWaXYIo)

Before Jen could reach the door, Archer had opened it and pushed past the trainer. "Well, it seems like he lost," Jen muttered before moving on to meet up with Ecco. Upon entering the room, the second hand destruction from the battle were apparent. However, despite this it didn't seem as if the tower suffered irreparable damages. After looking at the burns that speckled the room, Jen walked over to Ecco, stealing a glimpse out of one of the large windows to the dark city below. "How did your battle go?" Jen asked, looking over at the trainer for a moment before looking back down at the only illuminated building below, the Goldenrod Department Store.

"A few injuries, but nothing we can't handle…" Ecco said, opening the small box in his hands to reveal the other feather. Shimmering brightly, the rainbow colors of the feather shone brightly as the light entered the box. Closing the box with a sigh, Ecco moved towards the middle of the room. After pushing the Director's chair in, he turned towards the window as well, not able to enjoy the view until now due to the fight. "And yours? How did Ariana take the loss?" He asked.

Jen sighed, thinking about Ariana's, and Team Rocket's, new motives. "The match went well, especially for Growlithe's first encounter with them," Jen replied with a small smile, kneeling down to pet the proud fire type before continuing on. "But, what really bothers me is that Ariana didn't try as hard as I thought she would have. She even mentioned that they were no longer after the two legendary birds here. Rather that there is something bigger that they're planning," Jen continued, finally pulling her hair out of the ponytail it's been dressed up in this whole time. "What they're after bothers me a bit," Jen added, looking over at Ecco again for his thoughts.

Ecco looked over his shoulder towards Jen as she spoke. Upon hearing about Ariana, he raised an eyebrow. "That's not like her…" He said as he continued listening. "Something bigger…?" Taking a moment to think, he faced the windows once more, "Your guess is as good as mine this time." He said, trying to remember anything else that might have been mentioned by the Rockets. With nothing coming to mind, he turned to face Jen, "In any case, we have the feathers." He said, looking down at the box once more. "I'm sure the Director will be happy to have them back." He added, starting towards the door.

Jen nodded, showing Ecco the silver box she won from Ariana. "He'd be more than happy to have them back. Plus, things could be worse if we didn't get them back," Jen mentioned with a shrug, walking alongside him to the exit. "Either way, we should go meet up with them soon and return the boxes. I dunno about you, but I'm definitely looking forward to the Pokemon Center later, it's so late," Jen added, finally noticing her fatigue. Meanwhile, her Growlithe was pumped with energy for winning his battle and ran circles around the trainer's feet.

Ecco couldn't help but smile as he noticed Growlith's display, being careful not to trip over him. "I haven't been to a Center in a while…" He said as tugged on his black T-shirt, the letter 'R' still showing vividly on the front. After descending the many staircases once more, they had arrived at the Tower's exit. As the doors slid open, a cold rush of night air greeted them. Taking a look around, it had become apparent that there wasn't a Rocket member left in the entire town. By now a few buildings had power restored and the city was slowly returning to normal.

"I can only imagine, you should probably look into a new pair of clothes if you don't have any on you. I'm sure there's some at the department store that you could ask for," Jen pointed out, waking up a little as the three walked through the cold night air. Jen couldn't help but stop and watch the city slowly come alive, both through the lighting of buildings and signs. Every so often a curious resident would come out of the building to ask another what had transpired in the city. "Now that you've left Team Rocket, what will you do now? Are you attending the Silver Conference? Or, are you no longer interested in the league challenges anymore?" Jen inquired, curious about the trainer's next plan of action.

"I'm not really sure…" Ecco began, "I haven't really had much time to think with the way things have been going." He added, stopping to let Jen witness the rebirth of the city. _Either that or I've avoided thinking…_ He thought to himself, watching the residents point at him and talk. Rolling his eyes, he continued towards the Department Store. Upon entering they were greeted by the group they had rescued, headed by the Director. "You're back!" A man exclaimed, as others began to chat excitedly amongst themselves. The group approached them all at once, as if an entity all its own. In the excitement, the Director was nearly run over several times. "Hey! W-Watch it!" He said, being pushed around the mob.

(Final Fantasy VII – Ahead On Our Way ~ Kalm Theme -  watch?v=d3M7jK6uh7w)

"Whoa, calm down, calm down! Yeah, we won! We beat Team Rocket, but don't start a riot, will ya?" Jen exclaimed, finding the excited group to be a handful. Especially with all the questions about their battles and which Pokemon the trainers used, a few people were even ready to write details down on a piece of parchment or their skin. (And, that was even excluding all the pushing and shoving to see the trainers first or to greet Jen's Growlithe, which he loved the attention either way.)  
Eventually, the crowd quieted down and allowed the director to greet the two trainers. "Is Team Rocket gone? They've left the Radio Tower?" The Director questioned, building up with excitement as he anticipated the answer from the two trainers. Jen nodded and the group clamored with excitement once before, only to quiet down again shortly afterward.  
"We also came to return the feathers to you," Jen added, presenting the Director with the silver box. The Director was quiet for a moment as he grabbed both of the boxes from the trainers and looked down at each one in his hands.  
After a few moments, the Director finally spoke with a big grin, "Thank you, Jen, you too, Ecco. However, in light of recent events with Team Rocket, I believe that you two should hold onto each of the feathers you won. Take it as a "thank you" on behalf of the city for your efforts to save us."  
Jen stared down at the silver box awkwardly for a moment, unsure of whether to take it or not, it was a rare item after all. "Are you sure, Director? I know how much you love these feathers, you even found them here after the first Radio Tower tragedy," Jen pointed out, wanting to be sure that there were no regrets to be had in taking such a reward.  
The Director shook his head and offered the boxes to both trainers once more. "Please, I insist, take them. Fate brought them to me on that day, years ago. I believe the birds wanted you two to have them. After all, you two most certainly have the ability to battle them yourselves if you two chose to," The Director insisted, smiling greater as he did.

Ecco had a similar reaction to receiving the box once again; however he let Jen do most of the talking. "Th-Thanks." He said, going to place the box in his pocket before remembering the issue of his clothes. "Also, I was wondering if you would happen to sell clothes here…?" He asked, a bit embarrassed that the crowd was listening to their every word. "And if so, I'll try to get the money to you as soon as possible." He stated. Before anything else could be said, a member of the group let out a yell, "I'll help!" He offered, taking out a leather wallet. "Me too!" Another chimed in. Before long, dozens of individuals were reaching through their pockets to offer what they could. Ecco took a step back, "I appreciate it, but you don't—-" He started, being cut off by more eager yells. He gave up, hanging his head and letting out an exasperated sigh. As he did, much of the crowd stopped what they were doing and stared, unsure what to think. A moment passed and Ecco looked up with a haphazard smile on his face, "Thank you." He said, as he began to accept each person's donation.

Jen couldn't help but hold back a laugh from the reaction Ecco had received; especially when the store manager handed Ecco the clothes and he left to go change. Once Ecco was gone, however, the group felt obligated to also reward Jen with her own outfit. In return, Jen turned down the offers as it was unnecessary for her to have new clothes. To point out to the crowd, Jen rummaged through her bag for a moment and pulled out a black, sweater-like coat with a fluffy rim at the collar and sleeve rims. In return for her small display, the group were disappointed that they couldn't present her with new clothes as they did for Ecco.

A few minutes passed and Ecco came back to the room wearing light blue jeans and a snug black T-shirt not too different from his previous one, though lacking the large red 'R'. With his right hand, he held a grey sweater jacket that was had draped over his shoulder. As he stood being observed by the group, a few compliments could be heard over dull hum of their other conversations. Meanwhile, one of the employees that had gone with him to the back stood a foot or two away, deep in thought. "I've got it!" The young lady said, snapping her fingers and running off. She returned shortly, holding something in her hand. "Here, try this on!" She said excitedly, as she placed the item around his neck. "There!" She giggled, taking a step back. Now around Ecco's neck was a small silver chain which led to a pendant in the shape of a flame with four crests, two on each side, hanging close to his chest. "You look great!" She smiled. Ecco looked away sheepishly, idly scratching at his now red face with one finger as he took the compliment. With a giggle, the young employee started back towards the group with a skip in her step.

Meanwhile, before Ecco could reenter the room, the group was still trying to offer something to Jen. From different kinds of clothes to accessories, but she turned down everything until the Director pulled her to the side. "Jen, just let them give you something, small or not. They'll at least stop bugging you by then," The Director whispered, glancing over at the group to see if they were being eavesdropped or not. With a sigh, the trainer turned to the group, expecting the worst. "Fine, well... I could use a scarf, it's been snowing lately and yeah," Jen mumbled, from this, one of the employees zipped out of the group and came back shortly after Ecco came back. The employee swiftly wrapped a knitted, red-orange scarf around the trainer's neck. Despite the groups great hospitality, it was easy to tell that Jen was quickly growing impatient with their near worship tendency as a result of her growing fatigue. "Thank you guys for generosity for Ecco and I, and we were more than happy to help you guys and the city from being held captive," Jen began, doing her best to be sincere for everything, despite the previous annoyance. "However, it's the early hours of the morning and we've been working none stop the whole day and I think it's time for Ecco and I, or at least I will be, to head off. With that, good night, good bye, and thank you!" Jen told the group, waving to them before making her way to the door with a small step, Doing her best to inch out of the building as soon as possible.

"I'll be going as well." Ecco said, backing towards the exit to catch up with Jen. "Thank you all!" He said one final time, waving to them as he walked out. As soon as they were far enough away, the doors closed behind them. With their goodbyes out of the way, the pair headed north towards the Pokemon Center. By this time the city was almost completely back to normal, streetlights shining on the trainers as they walked. A few residents of the city could be seen strolling about, smiles on many of their faces as they embraced their freedom once more. Not too far away, children could be heard laughing as their mothers tried to hush them in preparation for an overdue sleep. After a few minutes of walking, the two trainers came to the doors of the Pokemon Center. Walking through as the doors slid open, the Nurse had barely noticed them as she and her Blissey worked frantically. In an attempt to get her attention without disturbing her, Ecco lifted his hand slowly. Noticing out of the corner of her eye, she jumped, "Oh!" She exclaimed, patting down her uniform and straightening her hat. "I'm sorry, things have been very busy with the Center getting back on its feet, I just…" She began, running out of breath. "Don't worry about it!" Ecco assured, "We're just looking for a place to sleep for the night." He informed her. Inhaling deeply in an attempt to catch her breath, the Nurse slowly gathered her thoughts, "Many trainers have already taken refuge here as a result of the events brought about by the takeover..." She began, "We only have one room left, but you are more than welcome to take it." She said, reaching in her uniform pocket and pulling out a room key. She placed it on the counter with a small smile, "Please excuse me." She said, returning to her work.

After a few moments of silence of not knowing what to do with the last room key, Jen took the moment to pick the key up. _This is gonna get awkward tonight, isn't it?_ "Well, let's take a look at the room at least, it might be one of those bigger rooms with the bunk beds and the like, right?" Jen asked aloud with a shrug. After checking the room number labeled on the key, the two trainers made their way through the Pokemon Center's halls. Once the trainers arrived to the room, Jen swiftly unlocked the dark room and flicked the switch on the wall. With the now illuminated room, like most of the small rooms in Pokemon Centers, there was a single bed, a bathroom and a table. Upon the lights flickering on, Growlithe dashed into the room and started to sniff the ground for unfamiliar scents. "So, who gets the bed and who gets the floor?" Jen asked, looking over at Ecco.

"I don't mind either way." Ecco said with a shrug, watching the curious pup scratch at certain areas he deemed to be strange. "In any case, I have to see if I can get Zapcannon some help… The battle wasn't too kind to him." He said, letting his eyes wander around the room as he spoke. "Hopefully she has a few minutes." He sighed, taking the orange and white pokeball off of his waist and releasing Flare. "Hang out here Flare, I'm going to see if we can't get Zap feeling better." Flare looked at his trainer with a worried expression, before giving him a nod. With that, Ecco left the room and began walking down the hall just outside. After taking a moment or two to observe his surroundings, Flare stretched out his limbs and yawned. Standing up, he started to wander around the room for a short time before finding a spot next to the bed where he could make himself comfortable.

Jen nodded at Ecco, once he left she closed the door and moved her way into the bathroom to get changed into her pajamas. Just as Jen left, Growlithe took an interest in Flare's flame-like tail, batting at the tip with his paw. After a few moments of doing that, Growlithe had stopped playing with Flare's tail and sat back, seemingly ready to pounce on the tired Flareon. Before Growlithe could make a move on Flare, Jen came back out in her crimson, plaid pajamas. "Growlithe, don't bother Flare, he's battled a lot today," Jen instructed the fire type while she placed her bag and fresh new clothes for tomorrow. Despite Growlithe being scolded, he was still happy and wagged his tail, waiting to find out where he was sleeping in the room.

Flare opened one eye, occasionally twitching his tail for Growlithe as he batted at it. Upon having the eager pup called off, he adjusted his paws and let out a relaxed sigh. A few minutes passed before Ecco had come back, closing the door behind him. "He's being taken care of." He said, quickly eyeing Jen's new attire, "He should be feeling better in the morni—- Well later today." He said, remembering what time it was. His attention turned to his sleeping pokemon as he walked over and took a seat next to him on the floor. "So are you sure you don't mind sharing the room with me?" He asked, petting Flare softly as he slept. "I am an ex-convict after all." He added, continuing to pet the fire type.

Jen raised an eyebrow at the trainer's last statement while she pet her own fire type. "We used to travel together in Sinnoh, you know. Not to mention, I believe the convict part was pardoned on account of your actions today," Jen replied, watching her pup yawn as he relaxed and rested his head on her lap. "I don't mind, but what I do want to know is where we're both sleeping. Probably should've asked Nurse Joy if there were extra blankets and pillows," Jen added, looking about the room to see if she'd missed the closet, but there were none.


	9. Post Rocket Saga (Part 1)

Ecco remained quiet as he listened to Jen, giving a sheepish smile as she explained the situation. "I guess you're right." He said, watching as Jen searched the room for supplies. He shrugged and took the jacket that was given to him at the department store off his shoulder and folded it neatly before placing it on the floor behind him. Continuing to watch as Jen's search yielded no results; he stood and walked over to her. "I'm alright really." He assured her, positioning himself between her and the closet. "You need to get some sleep." He said sternly, tilting his head down slightly to have his eyes meet hers.

Jen turned away once their eyes met, being far too timid for eye contact. "No, it's really not a problem, I could just ask, it's not that difficult," Jen pointed out, making her way towards the door. "You need sleep, too, and sleeping on the floor sucks."

"I'll admit it's not the most comfortable." Ecco admitted with a chuckle. "Alright, but just make sure you catch her at a good time. She's all over the place." He advised her, walking over to the edge of the bed and having a seat.

Jen nodded before heading out into the Pokemon Center. Once Jen had left, Growlithe was wide awake again, anxiously waiting for his trainer to come back as he sat patiently on the bed. The Pokemon even took to looking or sniffing at Ecco a few times as this was his first time meeting the new trainer. After a few moments, Jen came back into the room with a few more blankets and a spare pillow. Upon her arrival, Growlithe began to wag his tail, excited to see his trainer back. "Told ya, shoulda just asked," Jen teased as she began to put down one of the blankets onto the floor.

"Yeah, yeah." Ecco responded playfully, walking over to help Jen make up the sleeping area. "Thanks, though." He said, tossing the pillow at the top of the blankets. Having taken a small rest, Flare sat up and began scratching at one of his ears before letting out a yawn. "Sorry about all of the commotion." Ecco apologized with a small chuckle, his pokemon staring groggily and shaking his head. Soon the makeshift bed was finished, and Ecco turned to Jen with a nod, "That should do it."

Jen couldn't help but smile after the response, enjoying nearly every opportunity that she had in being right between the two. Noticing that Flare was becoming somewhat annoyed with not getting any sleep, Jen moved back to the bathroom and ran the water for the bathtub, making sure that it was plugged correctly. "Sorry, just a bit longer and we'll head to bed. I wanted to make sure that Vaporeon stayed outside of her Pokeball tonight. Normally I'd do the same for everybody, but I can only fit so many in one room, you know?" Jen finally said as she went back to the other room to grab her Vaporeon's Pokeball and released the water fox from its confines. Once Vaporeon was out, the other reason for her being out was clear as the water eon really wasn't herself. She sat patiently next to her trainer at the bathtub, waiting for the water to be ready, until then she seemed to be in a daze. Once the water was prepared, Jen picked up the water type slowly and brought her into the water. After a few moments, Vaporeon was more lively than moments prior, sometimes dipping her head under the water and bringing it back up to shake it off. However, her new space to relax in didn't help with her exhaustion from the day. Vaporeon looked over the rim of the tub to the other room one last time before yawning groggily. "You rest up, okay?" Jen instructed, petting Vaporeon a few times before moving to the light switch. "You ready for bed, Ecco?"

"I'm sure they'll understand." Ecco assured her, removing his boots and setting them aside. "Dragonite alone would most likely feel cramped in a room this size." He added. Flare listened to the trainers talk a bit before laying back down, closing his eyes only for a few moments before Jen released Vaporeon into the room. Noticing her familiar scent, he picked up his head and turned it towards her. Shortly after the water type was settled in the tub of water, Flare placed his head down once more and let out a tired sigh. By now, Ecco had taken a seat on the blankets laid down by the bed, watching as Jen approached the light switch. "Yeah, I'm set." He responded to her question, laying back on the pillow as the room was cast into darkness. "Watch your step." He said, hoping that his voice would help to guide her back to the bed.

Jen couldn't help but laugh at the thought of her poor Dragonite cramming himself in here. "Yeah, he wouldn't like it that much, neither would Gyarados, but we used to do that a little bit in Sinnoh with Torterra and we'd sleep outside," Jen mentioned, turning the light off and giving herself a moment before clumsily going over Ecco and crawling into the bed. Once there, her Growlithe came over and laid down in between her arms to be held. "Good night, Ecco," She said, cuddling up to her warm puppy before falling asleep soon after.

"Night, Jen." Ecco responded contently, looking up at the ceiling through the darkness of the room. Not being one to get tired easily, he let his mind wander as he lay. Thinking back with fondness on their days in the region of Sinnoh, a smile found its way onto his face. A while later, his eyes closed and he found himself drifting off. With everyone finally asleep, a relaxed atmosphere filled the room for a good portion of the night. However, Ecco had begun to toss and turn in his sleep as time passed, seeming to be stressed. "Cer…es…" He mumbled, the visions in his mind causing him to clench his fist tightly. "Stop!" He yelled as he found himself sitting up, sweating. Startled by the outburst, Flare sat up and looked at his trainer with worry.

Jen slept contently as did the fire type in her arms, sometimes mumbling incoherently in her sleep as well. After Ecco shouted, Growlithe barked and woke Jen up. Once Jen realized the trainer shouted, she drowsily looked over in Ecco's general direction. "Are you okay?" Jen asked worried, picking her head up. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah… I'm okay." Ecco said distantly, wiping his forehead. Flare cocked his head curiously, moving closer to his trainer before laying down again. "Sorry for waking all of you." Ecco apologized, laying back down and closing his eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep.

Jen laid back down, cuddling up to her fire type again. "It's fine, Ecco, as long as you're okay," She replied sleepily, sighing contently once she was comfortable. "It's fine..." Jen mumbled again before dozing off to slumber once more. Meanwhile, Growlithe was still awake, his tail wagging every so often before falling back asleep, too.

A short amount of time passed and Ecco fell asleep once more. The remainder of the early hours went by quickly, and soon the sun could be seen emanating through the cracks of the curtains that blocked most of the room's one window. Waking up to a sliver of light passing through and resting on his face, Ecco held out a hand to shield his eyes from the strong morning light. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and taking a deep breath before checking to see who was still asleep. Being careful not to wake anyone, he grabbed both his boots and jacket and put them on quietly. Opening the door, he snuck out slowly and closed it behind him as he made his way to the lobby. After conversing with Nurse Joy for a short time, Ecco had a seat on a bench nearby as she left to the back room. Before long, she had come back into the room with a smile, Zapcannon close behind her. It only took the Raichu a moment to spot Ecco, his ears perking up as he sprang towards him and hopped onto his lap. Despite the rough night, Ecco let out a chuckle as he shifted the pokemon towards his right leg. "Thank you for your help." He said, turning to Nurse Joy. With the smile still on her face, she waved a hand at him and shook her head. "Taking care of the pokemon was the more enjoyable part of the night." She said, looking around for her pokemon aide, Blissey. "Anyway, there is still more to be done." She stated bowing towards Ecco, "Please excuse me." She asked, turning around and walking back towards her desk.

While Ecco left to get Zapcannon, Jen remained asleep for a bit longer until the restless pup in her arms awoke her. At first, Jen had forgotten the events from the previous day and lazily looked about the room until she noticed Flare laying on the blankets his trainer had used. "Ugh, it's too early for this," Jen mumbled, reaching for her PokeGear to see the time; it was the afternoon hours. "Welp... time to get up." Once Jen sat up, Growlithe went ahead and licked Jen's face until she was fully awake, his tail wagging away. Guess I gotta just wait for Ecco to come back, don't want to leave Flare alone... nor do I want to bother him. While she waited for Ecco to return, Jen continued to pet the golden pup, shushing him when he started to get on the rowdy side.

The door to the room opened once more, revealing Ecco and his partner. "You're finally up, hm?" Ecco teased, sitting edge of the bed and giving a small whistle to Zapcannon. Ears perking up in response to the whistle, Zapcannon joined the group up on the bed. After sniffing around for a bit, he made his way over to Jen and dug into the sheets next to her. Ecco watched with a smile as his pokemon pushed into Jen's leg. "He missed you!" He laughed, removing himself from the crowded bed and kneeling down next to Flare. Sensing the nearby presence of his trainer, the fire type opened his eyes and looked at Ecco. Receiving a pat on the head, Flare stretched out his legs before standing up and moving off of the blankets. Now that they were vacated, Ecco folded up the blankets neatly before placing the pillow on top and putting the bundle on the bed.

"Hey, I've actually been up for a while!" Jen countered, smiling as she watched Zapcannon make himself comfortable on the bed. "Honestly, I've always wanted a Raichu, they're pretty cute, but I haven't seen a wild Pikachu yet," Jen lamented as she began petting both the electric mouse and the fire puppy. Meanwhile, with all the commotion occurring in the other room, Vaporeon dipped her head over the edge of the tub, eyeing all the other Pokemon and looking much better than the night before. The water type yawned before jumping out of the bath tub and shaking off the excess water that clinged to her body. "How are you doing, Vaporeon? You look a lot better," Jen asked while she watched her Pokemon join the room. In response, Vaporeon smiled and said "Va" before observing Ecco closely, even going up to sniff him a few times. "Vaporeon, remember Ecco? He was with us when we found you in Eterna City, remember?" Jen asked, smiling as she thought back to their own journeys, despite thinking about the bad times as well. After Jen finished talking, Vaporeon looked up at the trainer curiously before smiling and rubbing her face against the trainer's leg.

Ecco nodded, "I hear they love the Viridian Forest over in Kanto." He said, trying to think of other locations Pikachu may be seen. Giving up for the moment, he shrugged, "I'm sure you'll find one soon." He assured her, turning around as he heard the water in the tub splash with Vaporeon's departure. Upon being reintroduced, Ecco waved down at the pokemon with a smile. "So you're the troubled little Eevee I used to know, hm?" He asked, watching her as she rubbed against him. He reached a hand out for her to sniff, waiting for her approval before beginning to rub the back of one of the fins on the side of her head. He felt himself beginning to zone out slightly, reminiscing as well. Meanwhile, on the verge of being completely awake, Flare began grooming himself as he watched Vaporeon curiously. Bringing himself back with a shake of his head, Ecco looked around the room to see if he had missed cleaning anything up. With the room passing inspection he took a seat on the bed once more. "So, what's your next stop?" He asked, starting to yawn.

"Yeah, that and the Trophy Garden back in Sinnoh were the only places I could think of that had Pikachus and Pichus," Jen added with a shrug after watching two interact. Once Ecco asked the question, she paused for a moment, trying to think of where to go next in the region. "Well, my next gym is in Olivine City, I believe, but I'm sure my team and I want to take a break for a little while. Where are you going next?"

"I don't blame them." Ecco said with a small chuckle, responding to Jen's first comment. Upon being asked where he was going next, he looked up and began thinking, "… And I'm not really sure…" He said with a sigh, thinking back to the final Gym battle he had back in Sinnoh. He continued to retrace his path from long ago, before hitting a moment where everything but recent events had become hazy.

After a moment of thinking and petting the Pokemon again, Jen readjusted herself on the bed to sit up properly. "Well, why not go with us? I think Cianwood is a pretty nice place to go at this time of the year, to enjoy an uncrowded beach and relax for a bit. Plus, after everything that happened here in Goldenrod, people might be seeking us out again," Jen mentioned, reminiscing about what had happened the night before at the department store. "Hopefully, we won't be bothered there."

(FFVII – The Oppressed watch?v=aJo9-UJdSBE&amp;list=PL4AF0FB18CBED911D)

"If you don't mind, then sure I'd love to come." Ecco said, angling himself to face Jen as she sat up. "I should probably stop and grab some money first though…" He said, rememberin that he had no change of clothes, or a bag for that matter. He thought for a moment about where he could pick up a few things, his thoughts turning towards the department store once more. Realizing there was no other choice; he scratched the back of his head anxiously. "I don't have a choice." He stated hopelessly, "I have to get back on my feet and this store has everything." He added, standing up and checking his pants pocket for his wallet. Opening it up, it could be seen that little was inside, other than a few plastic cards. He took one out and placed his wallet back into his pocket with a sigh. "I'll go take care of it, and even pay everyone back if they're still there." He said, returning Flare to his pokeball and patting his leg. Zapcannon sat up quickly upon hearing the pats, sheets wrapped around him from rolling around the bed. He gave a small growl, working to unravel himself from the bedding before springing to his trainer with an embarrassed smile. Shaking his head with a smile of his own, Ecco stood and grabbed the bundle of blankets off of the bed and started towards the door. "So where did you want to meet up?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

Once Ecco started to head out of the room, Jen walked over to her belongings and returned Vaporeon to her Pokeball. "Well, I was thinking that we could meet at the cafe in Olivine City. It's going to be a long trip to Cianwood, even longer if we're going by water," Jen told Ecco, going through her bag and tossing a blue ball at Growlithe. "So, might as well eat and celebrate a little, right? I don't mind paying if you don't have the cash, I'll be my treat?" Jen asked, grabbing her clothes and glancing to the side at her playful pup chasing after the ball in the room.

Taking a moment to readjust the blankets in his arms, Ecco turned a little more to face Jen as she offered to pay for him. "That's okay, don't worry about it." He declined, "If anything I'd want to treat you after all the trouble I've caused." He added, struggling to see past the bedding. "So anyway, Olivine Café it is then." He reaffirmed, turning the doorknob and using his foot to nudge it the rest of the way open. Zapcannon, who was using his tail to throw the ball for Growlithe during the duration of the conversation, noticed his trainer was leaving and followed suit.

Once the door closed, Jen sighed when she thought back to Ecco not having any money previously. "He's still stubborn as ever," Jen mumbled to herself, watching Vaporeon take over Zapcannon's position as Growlithe's playmate. Then after a moment, Jen got into the bathroom to get changed. Ten minutes or so had passed when Jen had finally finished packing up and returned both of her Pokemon back into their respective Pokeballs. After dropping off the key at Nurse Joy's desk, the trainer left the building as hurriedly as she could, hoping that no one would notice or realize that she had helped the city out. Once she was out and in the clear, Jen released her Dragonite. Upon being released, the large dragon cheered and flapped his wings eagerly, happy to be out. "We're gonna head to Olivine, okay Dragonite?" Jen told the Pokemon. In response, the large dragon let his trainer onto his back and flew off, and just when a few people on the streets began to take notice, as well.

Giving the blankets and pillows to Nurse Joy, Ecco left the Pokemon center and made his way towards the Department Store. He paused a moment, standing at the doors anxiously as he thought back to the other night. Taking a deep breath, he walked in slowly and looked around each corner. As it turned out the coast was clear, he relaxed a bit and approached an ATM. Withdrawing just enough to grab a few things, he proceeded to the stairs, never noticing the curious look he was receiving from the clerk at the front as he snuck around. Not taking too long to find everything, as well as getting away with only being noticed a couple of times by awestruck city folk, Ecco eventually made his way back to the ground floor with his items. These items consisted of a few changes of clothes, some medical supplies, and finally a dark blue bag with a shoulder strap. After being rung up and paying the clerk, he placed all of the items into the bag and slung it over his shoulder as he thanked her and walked out. Grabbing a ball off of his belt and returning Zapcannon, he switched it with a yellow and red topped one. Tossing it in front of him, Mach was released with a flash of light, catching the eyes of a few passerbys. "I'll fill you in later, just get us out of here quick." Ecco ordered quietly, climbing onto his Pidgeot's back.

(FFVII The Highwind Takes to the Skies - watch?v=gf83g3-LLiE)

With the crowd of bystanders beginning to draw closer, the large bird flapped his wings a few times before lifting off of the ground and into the air. The two hovered well above city as Mach awaited his next command, "We're headed for Olivine City! You up for it?" He asked, pointing with his free hand as he hung on tightly. Giving an affirmative nod, Mach darted off in the direction of the city as the long yellow and red plumage on his head flowed freely behind him.

( watch?v=aiEZ_bAd47E Olivine City Remix (REGIROCK Remix) )

It didn't take long before Dragonite flew into the city, flying around the top of the city's famous lighthouse a few times with Jen cheering with excitement. However, Dragonite began to show off, doing loop de looops and the occasional barrel roll in the sky. "Hey, come on! We have to go to the cafe, remember?" Jen laughed, pointing at the building's general direction as she did. The dragon nodded before heading off to the cafe, descending nicely as they he did. Once on the ground, Jen patted Dragonite's neck before hopping off his back. "Thanks Dragonite, I'll be sure to get your favorite meal, okay?" Jen said, looking up at the dragon. In reply, Dragonite flapped his wings excitedly and let out a small "Aroo." Afterwards, Dragonite laid down beside his trainer on the ground, the two waiting together for Ecco and his team.

Roughly a half an hour later, Mach and his trainer could be seen in the skies above as the large bird pokemon scouted out the Café. Upon spotting Jen and Dragonite, he stopped and flapped his wings a few times to hover. Knowing what this meant, Ecco held on tightly as Mach tucked his wings in and dove towards the area below. Leveling out as they approached the ground, he spread his wings out to slow their movement as Ecco hopped off. Once his trainer had dismounted, Mach looped around with a U-turn to meet with the group. Flapping his wings towards the ground, he slowed his decent and landed next to Ecco. "Sorry to keep you waiting." Ecco said, his hair a bit windswept from the flight.

Once Ecco and Mach made their entrance, Jen stood up and brushed the dirt off her pants. "It's fine, Ecco, you can make up for it with the cafe," Jen teased, as she returned Dragonite to his Pokeball. "How was the flight over? More importantly, did any girls throw themselves your way as you passed by?" Jen asked, teasing the trainer once more as she remembered the events from the previous day.

Becoming a bit flustered at Jen's remark, Ecco blushed a little with a smirk. "Tons." He joked, searching his belt for Mach's pokeball. After returning his pokemon he made for the entrance to the café, flicking Jen's forehead as he passed her as if to playfully scold her for her teasing. Opening one of the doors, he looked back at her with a sly smile as he stepped aside to let her enter first.

Jen flinched a little as Ecco flicked her forehead as it had been some time since the two had hung out. Despite the flick to the head for being a nuisance, Jen couldn't help but be puzzled from his one-worded response. "So, wait, you did? How many?" Jen asked walking through the cafe's entrance first, being blissfully unaware of his sarcasm as per the usual.

Following behind Jen, Ecco couldn't help but snicker to himself as the joke missed it's mark and flew over her head. Stopping for a moment and placing a finger underneath his chin, he looked towards the ceiling in an effort to mimic thought. "Let's see, it must have been four or five…" He said, fighting back laughter to make the joke more convincing.

Jen stared at the trainer for a good minute, realizing something was up at this point. "You're lying, ya meanie," Jen stated with the most serious face one could see her with. "Or, at least, no one threw themselves out at me when I was at the Center," Jen added with a frown, seemingly pouting at the lie as well.

Ecco looked down at Jen with a smile as she figured out what he was up to. "About time you caught on." He teased, placing a hand in his pocket. As the frown found its way onto Jen's face with the second remark, he raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey now, cheer up." He said, turning his attention to the menu boards above the clerk. "Come on, I'll buy you something." He offered, taking a few steps toward the counter.

"Sounds about even, but I'll still be paying for my own Pokemon's food," Jen replied, following behind the trainer. Once the two came up to the counter for service, Jen found herself trying to hide behind Ecco as to not attract too much attention. Upon seeing the two trainers waiting to be seated, a waitress came up to the trainers, grabbing two menus from under the counter. "Party of two, right?" The waitress asked, ready to seat them to a table if that were the case.

"That'd be perfect." Ecco stated, stepping aside. "Right this way." The waitress instructed, starting towards the dining area. As they made their way through, the small restaurant buzzed with the sound of rowdy sailors who were seated at the bar. Men could be heard telling stories of their adventures at sea, laughing heartily and making toasts. Despite all of the commotion however, the café radiated feelings of warmth and comfort. After being seated and handed the menus, "Anything to drink?" She asked, taking their orders. With a bow, she walked away for a short time before returning with their drink orders. "Take your time with the menus; I'll come back when you're ready to order." She said with a smile as she left to help another table that had been waiting.

A few moments after the waitress had left, Jen glimpsed through the menu a few times before leaving it open on a particular page. "So, how did you meet Zapcannon and where? I don't think I was there when you caught him," Jen asked, taking a sip of water after she had asked. Every so often, Jen would glimpse down at the menu again, uncertain if she really wanted her choice.

Ecco had made his decision pretty quickly and was fiddling with the straw protruding from his drink. Lifting his gaze to Jen as she asked him the question, he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "It wasn't long after I began my journey that we met actually." He started. "I had stopped at Sandgem for a while, before heading to Jubilife to check out the city life. It was along the way that I spotted a scruffy Pichu sitting next to a badly injured Pikachu. Something must have beat them up pretty badly before finally getting scared off." He added, crossing his arms with a puzzled look. "Regardless, I knelt down to see if I could help in any way, but the there was little I could do. I sat there for a minute or two before she inched over to the Pichu and nudged him towards me. He didn't like the idea at first, but eventually he gave in and sat next to me." He said patting Zapcannon's ball on his waist. "I knew it was too late to help her, and without a mother he wouldn't stand a chance. She knew that, and told him to go with me." He stated, taking a sip of water himself. "I took him the the Pokemon Center in Jubilife and got him fixed up, and we've been together ever since." He finished, Placing his glass on the table.

Jen listened intently throughout the story, taking sips of her drink every once in a while before crossing her arms. Once Ecco had finished, Jen seemed visibly heart broken by the story. "Aw... that's so sad! Poor Zapcannon!" Jen replied, trying to prevent herself from becoming a mush from the unfazed trainer. "Who was your first Pokemon then? Was Zapcannon the first one that you caught?" Jen pressed on as she glimpsed around for the waitress in case she was coming by the table soon.

Ecco nodded his head, "The professor was away taking care of business in Hoenn when I had arrived to get a starter." He explained, noticing the waitress approaching from a distance. "But I was restless. Instead of waiting, I just decided to wing it." He shrugged. "It wasn't too long after that that I met you two." He said, his voice shaking a bit on the word 'two'. "And you know much of the rest." He said, sitting up straight as the waitress approached them with a notepad.

Before Jen could give her response, or even continue interrogating Ecco, the waitress arrived to the table with pen and pad in hand. "May I ask if I can get you guys anything? Appetizers?" The waitress asked, looking between the two trainers every few words she said. After a glance to Ecco, seeing if he would go first, Jen looked down at her menu to make her last decision. "May I have the Fried Shrimp basket?" Jen asked, as she closed up her menu. "Sure thing, cole slaw okay?" The waitress replied, scribbling down the dish onto her notepad. "Uhm, vinegar cole slaw? No mayo, please." "Mmkay! What about you?" The waitress asked, turning her attention to Ecco.

All the while Jen was ordering Ecco had a look of disgust on his face, never having been one for any kind of sea food. However, seeing as this was a town on the sea, it's to be expected that they would have some of the best sea food around. "I'll just have a Caesar salad please." He ordered, closing the menu and holding it until she was done writing down the request. "Alright! Enjoy yourselves and we'll do our best to bring everything out shortly!" She said with a smile as she took both menus and proceeded to walk back to the kitchen

Jen noticed the look Ecco had, waiting until the waitress had left the table to say something. "Ya know, I'm not passing it up while we're here, what else do you think the sailors eat around here?" Jen asked, teasing as she did before pausing for a moment to remember the question she was going to ask. "Oh, right, I forgot to ask. Last time I saw you, you had received the 6th gym badge in Sinnoh, did you finish the league in Sinnoh since you're here in Johto?" Jen asked, highly curious in the matters of Pokemon battles.

Ecco's brow furrowed, "I never finished it." He sighed, turning his head towards the window in an effort to avoid Jen's disappointed stare. "The last badge you saw me holding was the last badge I've earned since then." He informed her, pausing for a few moments before bringing his eyes back to meet hers. Catching the sudden change in his demeanor, he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I must be ruining your good time." He apologized, closing his eyes as he brought a hand to his forehead.

Instead of the disappointed stare Ecco had expected, Jen gave him a more concerned look. "No, you're not ruining my time, but I'm just concerned and curious, Ecco," Jen countered, pausing for a few moments before continuing. "Would you rather I drop the subject?"

Ecco shook his head, "No it's alright. I think we should enjoy our time here though, seeing how hectic everything at Goldenrod was." He stated, idly tapping a finger on the table. "I'll make you a deal though." He said, his eyes once again meeting hers. "When we get settled in Cianwood, you can ask me anything." He offered, hoping she'd forget by the time they had arrived.

Jen sat back for a moment, taking a few more sips of her drink until the glass was empty. "Okay, that's fair," Jen replied, pausing to seek out the waitress and see whether their food was on its way or not before continuing. "Then lemme ask you this; do you have any questions for me? I did just interrogate you, pretty much," Jen kidded at the end, realizing how many questions she's asked must be getting annoying.

Letting out a small chuckle, Ecco took a moment to think. "Well, let's start with the basics, hm?" He began, sitting up a bit. "What have you been up to these days?" He asked, catching a glimpse of the waitress returning with their orders. After placing everything in front of them, she grabbed a pitcher off of the tray she brought and refilled their glasses. Seeing that everything was taken care of, she smiled politely, "Enjoy you two!" She said cheerfully as the trainers proceeded to thank her.

"Well, things have been a little... messy," Jen sighed after the waitress had left. "But, I've been participating in the Silver Conference, it's a tournament for trainers to compete at Mount Silver, but only those that beat the Elite Four at the Indigo Plateau are eligible to enter," Jen replied, eating a few of her fries before continuing on. "I beat the Ecruteak Gym before everything went down at the Lake of Rage. Cianwood would be my next badge, but I want my Pokemon to have a break before getting back into the swing of things again, you know? Radio Tower was rough." After Jen gave her response, she ate some more of her food, sheepishly eating the shrimp every once in a while.

"Yeah, that's for sure…" Ecco mumbled, thinking aloud as he rubbed his jaw. After a few moments, he grabbed a fork and began poking at his salad every so often. Taking a few bites he continued, "It really does sound like the perfect challenge for you." He smiled for a moment, "I see what you mean by messy, though." He mentioned, the guilt of participating in the creation of one of her obstacles weighing on him.

Jen nodded, smiling happily at the thought of Pokemon battles. "We're always up for a battle! Always have been since I got my Dragonite as a Dratini," She beamed, only to get curious about confused with Ecco's second statement. "Hm? You do? I wasn't thinking about... Team Rocket, if that's what you were thinking. It was mostly... family matters, to put it simply," Jen continued on, eating more of her food at the end as she thought back. "Sorry about that though, I didn't mean it like that..." She mumbled quietly.

Ecco's smile returned as he noticed Jen's excitement. As she finished speaking, he couldn't help but hear her apologetic mumble. "No, that's okay. I'm glad to hear that I didn't cause you too much trouble." He confessed, sighing with relief. With his meal dwindling down to the last few leaves, he placed the fork down and sat back to let his stomach unknot itself. "So things aren't going well with the family?" He questioned, returning Jen's previous look of concern.

Jen smiled as Ecco did, happy to see the gesture. "After taking down Team Galactic in Sinnoh, I'd like to think that battling organizations has become a part of my resume," Jen joked, giggling to herself as she thought about the coincidences. However, the joking was put aside when the family matters question came up. "Yeah, they really haven't been all the great to begin with," Jen confessed, taking a break from her meal to drink some more water. "To be frank, I moved with my mom to Sinnoh when my adventure began. Before then, we all lived together with my dad and my three siblings in Blackthorn City. Now that I'm back in Johto, I've been competing with my sister, Amy, to see who the better trainer is as she had championed Hoenn while I did the same for Sinnoh," Jen explained, pausing for a moment before continuing on. "As a result, it's been a little taxing for my Pokemon and I to keep up with Amy and to prove ourselves as well."

Ecco raised an eyebrow at Jen as she giggled, but continued to listen. As she spoke, he gave of nod of understanding at each pause. "I remember Amy." He stated, thinking back to the day when he had met most of Jen's siblings. "So it's back to living with your Dad then?" He asked, trying to confirm all of the details. Meanwhile, the waitress could be seen approaching the table once more to check on things. "All finished?" reaching for the plates as she was given the okay to do so. Taking out a little black booklet from the pouch on her apron, she placed it on the table in front of them. "Just bring that up to the front whenever you'd like!" She explained, giving them both the usual courteous smile. "Thank you for choosing our café! Enjoy your day!" She said politely as she turned to leave. Reaching into his pockets, Ecco turned to Jen curiously, still awaiting the answer to his question.

Jen nodded solemnly in return, drinking the rest of her water afterwards. "I try to stay out of the house as much as I can, though. I might even avoid Blackthorn in general for a bit longer. In the end, I know I can't avoid my family much. I'm always a few steps behind Amy, it seems," Jen sighed, then took a moment to steal a look at the check. After taking a moment to do the math, the trainer searched through her wallet and took out some money as well. "I'll pay for the tip at the very least, okay?" Jen asked, placing the money into the black booklet with a smile.

Ecco smirked, realizing he wasn't going to convince her otherwise. Adding his own money into the booklet, he stood up from his seat and started towards the counter. After dropping the money off and having the amount verified, the trainers walked out the café's double doors. Walking for a few moments towards the western shore of the city, Ecco couldn't help but reopen their previous discussion. "So, if you don't mind, can I ask what started this rivalry between you and Amy?" He asked as they took their first steps onto the sandy beach of the western shore.

Jen shrugged as a response, looking out at the water for a moment before finally speaking. "Well, we're twins, so I suppose sibling rivalry? She may envy me for being the oldest though," Jen replied, shrugging once more. "We're apart of the Ryuu family line in Blackthorn, and the eldest child receives their first Pokemon, a Dratini, when they turn seven. However, since we were twins, the first in the family line, there was confusion and debate for whether she got to have her Dratini at the same time as me or at all. That, or maybe things just haven't been quite as simple as she'd wish they'd be in the city," Jen further explained, more so relaying her thoughts than trying to make a clear point to Ecco. "Either way, we definitely face off a lot, mostly from her stubborn personality. Our battles tend to be... mirrored, I suppose," Jen finished, smiling at the odd yin-yang relationship she shared with her sister.

Ecco listened intently to Jen's story, giving a nod here and there to show that he was keeping up. "It sounds like it could be any one of those things, or maybe all of them and more." He replied, looking out at the ocean. A few moments passed that way before he broke away from the hypnotic crashing of the waves. "So, we're just one trip away then." He started, taking a moment to think. "Did you want to fly there, or did you want to travel by sea?"

Jen found Ecco's question amusing, even giggling a little at the thought. "I'd rather fly, we'd run into a lot of water Pokemon by sea. Plus, the water's been rather aggressive lately from what I've heard, there have been more whirlpools than usual, so let's avoid them," Jen replied, swiftly taking off the Pokeball on her necklace to release Dragonite. Once the dragon flapped stretched his wings and took a moment to enjoy the ocean air, Jen climbed onto his back. "Once we get there, we should register for the rooms at the Pokemon Center, just so that you don't have to sleep on the floor again."

Crossing his arms, Ecco smiled and leaned over towards the giggling trainer. "Hey, I just thought I'd ask! No need to make a guy feel bad!" He quipped, reaching for Mach's yellow and red topped pokeball. Tossing it in front of him softly, white light erupted from the ball before revealing the large bird pokemon once more. Flapping his wings a few times, Mach let out a cry and turned his head to look behind him as he waited for Ecco to climb on. Upon hearing Jen's advice Ecco nodded, twisting his waist a bit in an attempt to crack his back. "That would be nice." He said with a touch of playful sarcasm before climbing onto Mach's back.

Jen stuck her tongue out at the other trainer, teasing playfully at the easily offended Ecco. "But, hey, you offered last night, don't complain!" Jen countered, not noticing the sarcasm that Ecco had added in. "So, I guess I'll see you there then?" Jen teased before her Dragonite took off from the ground and into the sky towards Cianwood's general direction.

( watch?v=gf83g3-LLiE The Highwind Takes To The Skies)

Ecco shrugged, realizing that Jen had a point. "You got me there… Honestly though, I'm used to it. I'm just glad one of us got some sleep." He admitted, checking to see that Mach was ready for takeoff. As Jen and her Dragonite lifted off, Mach's keen eyes locked onto the pair as he prepared to follow them to the small city on the beach.

After a few minutes into the flight, Jen decided to look back on the distance between Dragonite and Mach. To her surprise, the bird was catching up right fast. "Aw man, I wanna win this," Jen mumbled to herself as she looked ahead. "Dragonite, go a bit faster, okay? I feel like showing off today," the trainer joked, and with that Dragonite sped on ahead as the Whirl Islands came into view in the distance to their far left.

Noticing Jen and her Dragonite speed up shortly after looking back, Ecco smirked. "So it's a race, hm? Mach, let's show them the true speed of a Pidgeot!" He ordered, hanging on tightly as his pokemon let out a confident cry and picked up speed. Before long, the pair had managed to catch up to the Dragon pokemon and his trainer, slowly gaining the lead as they flew.

Jen frowned as the two caught up, then held on tighter before finally saying something to her Pokemon. "Dragonite, use Extremespeed!" Jen ordered, feeling her Pokemon lurch back one moment then speeding forward the next. The new found speed allowed the two to pass Ecco and Mach considerably, but the high speeds prevented Jen from looking back to see their competition. As the four of them raced, they passed the second Whirl Island within minutes and Cianwood's shores were coming into view in the distance.

Ecco flinched as a burst of air rushed out from behind Dragonite. As the rush of air diminished, he could see that the others had gained the lead and were now approaching the beach. "Mach, get behind them and use agility!" He commanded, hanging on tightly as his pokemon maneuvered to stay behind his opponents. "That's it! We'll use their drag to catch up!" He yelled, the gap between the trainers and their pokemon beginning to close once more. With the beach now just a few yards away, Mach broke free of the drag and inched up next to Dragonite. With both landing on the sand at nearly the same time, it was difficult to determine a winner. Ecco hopped off of the back on his pokemon, looking at Jen for her opinon while scratching Mach's chest softly.

watch?v=A1IRqS46dP0 FFVII Parochial Town

As the two landed, Jen remained sitting on her dragon's back for a while to pat the side of Dragonite's neck. In turn, the dragon type nuzzled the trainer once before allowing the trainer off. "I'm calling for a rematch down the road, you're gonna eat Flygon's dust next time," Jen laughed, unsure of who the real victor was. "So, are we gonna get going to the Pokemon Center?" Jen asked, taking off Dragonite's Pokeball from her necklace, wondering where they were heading to next. "After all, we got to eat and our Pokemon didn't at the cafe, we should let them eat after we get our rooms."

"Don't lie to yourself, now." Ecco teased, giving Jen a competitive smirk. Listening to her advice, he nodded. "Yeah we should take care of everything before we relax." He replied. Having heard the word eat, Mach's head turned to Ecco abruptly as he began to frantically search his trainer's hands. Taken by surprise, Ecco jumped a bit. "Soon, Mach!" He assured his pokemon, holding up empty hands to show that he wasn't hiding anything. He took off Mach's pokeball from his waist, returning him and switching the ball for another. Tossing it in front of him, Zapcannon came out with an excited cry, shaking his fur out.


	10. Post Rocket Saga (Part 2)

Jen stuck her tongue out at the trainer, believing that her other dragon type would be more than up for the challenge. After watching Mach's bit of excitement for food, Jen giggled and returned Dragonite. "Okay, let's get going, I think the center is at that part of the city," Jen stated, pointing towards the general southern part of Cianwood before heading off to the boardwalk.

"Lead the way." Ecco said, following behind Jen as she started towards the Pokemon Center. The trio walked along the boardwalk for a while, passing many shops set up along the way. During the right hours of the day, the boardwalk would be buzzing with locals and tourists alike, all congregating in one area to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather and concessions. However, seeing that it was now the late afternoon, the area was fairly empty besides few shopkeepers catching a breath of fresh air. Ecco let out a small hum as they walked, partially out of boredom and partially out of inspiration. "What would you say to a swim after we take care of everything, hm?" He proposed, clasping his hands behind his head and slowing his pace a bit.

Jen thought about the idea for a moment, looking between the shop keepers and their passerby's as they walked. "Mm, if you're talking about the beach, then you're nuts; it's winter time, ya silly!" Jen replied, moving ahead and flicking Ecco on the forehead. "But, we can swim at one of these new parks that Cianwood opened up recently, it's a natural hot water spring in the cave to the North. Might be best to try that out than to swim in the ocean at the current time," Jen teased Ecco, having a little more pep in her step. "I also need to get a bathing suit then, I didn't think I'd need any while traveling around."

"H-hey!" Ecco stuttered, letting out a chuckle as Jen's finger impacted his forehead. He took a moment to rub the area with a pair of fingers, eyeing Jen playfully as she skipped ahead. Picking up his pace a little to catch up, he listened to her talk about the mountain springs. "Hot springs, huh?" He thought aloud, crossing his arms and tilting his gaze upward as he walked beside Jen. Bringing his attention back to her as she spoke, he patted his bag. "That was one of the first things I grabbed back at the Department Store, seeing as you said we were coming here." He stated, eyeing the stores around them while they walked. Upon spotting a small clothing outlet, he stopped and pointed towards it, "I'm sure they'll have something." He suggested, taking a few steps toward the entrance.

As Ecco pointed out the small clothing store, Jen eyed the shop before catching up to Ecco. "Ya sure? Clothes stores are boring, and I thought guys hated 'em anyway," Jen replied, as the sliding doors of the store opened for the trainers and Zapcannon. Looking at the interior of the store, it was clear to Jen that there weren't as many people around as normal, despite clearances and sales happening in some parts of the store. "At least if they do have a bathing suit that it'll be on clearance, it's out of season," Jen sighed as she walked in, feeling frustrated already about where to even look in the store.

Ecco shrugged, taking a look around as well. "It'd be easier if I didn't just finish buying myself new clothes." He admitted, idly fingering through shirts on a rack. "But you're only looking for a bathing suit, how hard can it be?" He asked, taking a plain grey T-shirt off of the rack and pressing it against himself. "Go on, I'll be around." He assured her, letting out a small hum of interest as he placed the shirt back on the rack.

Jen watched Ecco thumb through the clothes before moving off to look around the store. "This place looked a lot smaller outside," Jen mumbled as she looked around the store. The trainer eyed a few clothes every now and then, only to find that the design was unsuited for her or they were two sizes too small. After a while of wondering around aimlessly in the store, Jen found a store clerk to point her in the right direction of the bathing suits. The leftovers of last season were all thrown together in a basket-like table. The table was mixed with an array of two- and one-piece swimming suits of varying designs, albeit the display was disheveled. After what seemed like forever to the trainer, Jen pulled out a black piece and headed over to the fitting room to try the swimwear on.

Meanwhile, Ecco roamed around the store taking a look at all of the designs that were considered to be 'in' this year. After a short time, he found himself growing tired of browsing through countless rows of clothes, and started for the dressing rooms to meet up with Jen. Upon reaching the various stall-like doors, he leaned against the wall and relaxed. All the while Zapcannon browsed on his own, more interested in the scents of each article of clothing than the styles they expressed. Eventually locking on to a piece that contained Jen's scent, he followed it to one of the dressing room doors before peeking his head underneath it. Opening one eye to catch a glimpse of his pokemon misbehaving, Ecco pushed off the wall and pulled him away. "Come on now, Zap…" He scolded, his Raichu now red in the face.

After a few more moments of changing, Jen got back into her normal clothes and decided to keep the black, stylized bathing suit (as well as another article of clothing) before leaving the stall. "Hmkay, I'm ready now," Jen said with relief, and somewhat oblivious to what Zapcannon was moments ago. "Did you find anything ya liked, Ecco?"

Standing back up from dealing with Zapcannon, Ecco shook his head. "I saw a few interesting things, but I don't think I should buy them right now. I mean, I was just at the Department Store earlier today." He stated, eyeing the items that Jen held. "I take it you found something though?" He asked, cocking his head.

Jen nodded her head at him with a smile, before leading the three out of the dressing room. "Sometimes, looking in the dressing rooms pay off," Jen said to herself as she looked at the grey sweater in her arms. "After this we'll head over to the Pokemon Center, get our rooms, and get our Pokemon fed? I bet Zap's hungry," Jen continued, looking down at Zapcannon as she mentioned his name.

Zapcannon jumped as Jen made her remark about looking in dressing rooms. He wagged his tail slowly, avoiding eye contact. Meanwhile his demeanor quickly changed as the topic changed to food. Placing his hands on his now growling stomach, he looked up at the trainers. "That's a pretty safe bet." Ecco replied, bending down and messing with his Raichu's already messy hair. After Jen had payed the clerk, the trio walked out the sliding doors once more, being greeted by a now setting sun and a brisk winter breeze.

(FFVII Stolen Materia

watch?v=WZ5nsden_A0&amp;list=PLF0835B27DEF5B5DA&amp;index=54 )

After a few minutes of walking in the city, Jen looked over at Ecco again. "Hey, Ecco, why were you waiting in the dressing room anyway?" Jen asked suspiciously with a brow raised at the trainer before looking ahead. The Pokemon Center was now in view down the road, and a little past that was the city gym.

Ecco turned his head towards Jen, continuing onward. "You caught me." He admitted sarcastically. "I wanted a peek, so there I was." He continued, placing his hands behind his head and picking up the pace a bit to hide his stifled laughter.

Jen's eyes narrowed in on Ecco after he finished speaking, her face growing red with the thought. "Hey! That's not funny!" Jen replied, dashing to the trainer and hit his shoulder. "Are you lying to me, again?"

Ecco snickered to himself, rubbing his shoulder. Though he was tempted to continue the ruse, he decided against it considering the previous day's events. Instead, his eyes lowered sympathetically and he moved closer to her. "Of course I am Jen, I'm not like that." He assured her, placing a hand on her head and mussing her hair a bit before continuing into the pokemon center.

(Resume FFVII Parochial Town watch?v=A1IRqS46dP0)

Jen fixed her hair soon after Ecco messed around with it, soon feeling bad about her reaction as she followed after him into the Pokemon Center. The two trainers waited in line at the counter from trainers needing their Pokemon back from the local gym or a place to stay. "Sorry, Ecco, but it'd really be strange if ya did," Jen admitted, smiling a little awkwardly for a moment before looking around the rather large sitting area of the Pokemon Center. A center fireplace was going in the middle of an encircled sitting area. Meanwhile, two long couches lined the walls of the Pokemon Center, the one to the left of the line they were on were full of anxiously waiting trainers. However, a select few trainers were making their way to the right of the room towards a hall labeled with two red signs; "Trainer's quarters" and "Cafeteria." "Looks like the trainers are having a rough time at the gym," Jen observed quietly, trying her best not to be targeted.

"It would be." Ecco agreed absentmindedly, his thoughts elsewhere as he watched the flurry of panicked trainers rush in from their Gym battles. Shaking his head, he let out a heavy sigh as he continued to examine the large Pokemon Center. Seconds turned to minutes and the long line of trainers had barely moved and inch. Spotting the signs down the hall, Ecco turned to Jen, "There's no use in us both standing here, hm?" He started, making a motion towards the cafeteria. "Why don't you take Zapcannon and head to the cafeteria? I'll catch up after I get us a couple of rooms, okay?" He proposed, the line just now starting to move for the first time since the trainers had arrived.

Jen looked up at the trainer curiously, shifting her weight to one leg from standing in line for so long. "Are you sure? Want me to grab you anything while I'm there, too?" Jen asked, moving her hand free hand in a gesture towards the cafeteria.

Ecco found himself smiling as his eyes met Jen's, "I'm sure." He said, waving his hands as a signal for her to go. "Don't worry about me; I'll grab something when I get there." He added, following the line as it moved up a bit more.

Jen hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Okay, come on, Zapcannon," Jen said, before walking out of the line. The electric Pokemon hesitated a moment by his trainer before following after Jen. After a few turns in the many halls, Jen and Zapcannon were greeted with the hustle and bustle of the trainer-filled cafeteria. There were a great number of tables throughout the room, some for two seater, others had larger tables, but everyone had their Pokemon out and were chowing down. To the right of the two was a window-lined wall that overlooked the Pokemon Center's garden outside. As a result of the nice view, many trainers had filled up the only tables available in that area. Meanwhile, there were two buffet tables to the left of the room; one for the trainers and one for the Pokemon. On the ends of both buffet tables were two swinging doors with employees coming in and out to fill up either table. The chatter was loud, but after a few moments of being in the room, the two readjusted to the noise level and moved their way toward the buffet line. "Come on, Zapcannon, let's get you a plate, if we're fast enough, I'll let you get a treat from the other line," Jen smiled, as Zapcannon nodded eagerly and ran ahead to get on line for the Pokemon's table.

Meanwhile back in the main lobby, the line had moved significantly. With about 20 minutes having passed since Jen's departure, Ecco had finally reached the counter. "Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Center!" One of the few Nurses stated, trying to catch her breath from helping the previous trainers. "Would you like me to take your pokemon?" She asked, another nurse approaching behind her holding a tray for pokeballs. Ecco waved his hands, calming their nerves. "Just two room keys, please." He requested, letting out a sigh and scratching his head. This whole scenario seems familiar… He thought, as the Nurse gave a nod before grabbing two room keys from a drawer. "Here you are, two room keys." She said, placing them on the counter between the two. "Make yourselves at home!" She said with a small bow. Thanking them, Ecco moved aside to allow the trainer behind him to receive help. He pocketed the keys and made his way down the hall and towards the room with the 'Cafeteria' sign. A faint hum of indistinguishable chatter could be heard coming from behind the door, instantly amplifying itself as they opened. Holding a hand to his ear, Ecco searched the room for any signs of Jen and Zapcannon. Realizing the most logical place to find them would be the line for food, he spotted them shortly. Seeing that Zapcannon was waiting on line, he walked to where Jen waited. Making himself known with a tap to her shoulder, he uncovered his ear. "I've got the keys, everything is settled." He said, both drawing close to her and raising his voice a bit in an effort to be heard over the low drone of combined conversations occurring around them.

Jen turned to face Ecco, holding onto two plates of food, one of them being for Zapcannon with two glazed munchkins from the desert end of the trainer table. "Hey! That's good, we'll go check them out in a bit. Also, you should grab a few plates for your Pokemon, too, Pokemon aren't allowed at the buffet tables without their trainers, so we might as well get their food first before our own," Jen instructed Ecco, then looking over at the rest of the cafeteria for any free tables or area for their Pokemon to sit at. "I just need to get some more food for Growlithe, I'll find us a table after that," Jen continued with a small smile as Zapcannon eagerly awaited the food in Jen's hands.

Ecco nodded, figuring any form of verbal response would just be a hassle with all of the commotion. Grabbing a couple of trays, he began placing items from both sections on each respectively. Looking down at the tray of pokemon food in his hands, he let out a sigh. Wing could probably clean this buffet out by himself… He thought, realizing he may have to make more trips for everyone. As he finished filling up both trays, he started towards the table that Jen had chosen for the group. Taking two pokeballs off of his belt, he released Shadow and Flare to join Zapcannon for the first session. "Thanks for watching Zapcannon for me." Ecco smiled, taking a seat himself shortly after Jen had.

"Oh, no problem," Jen smiled, watching Ecco's Pokemon and her Growlithe eat before getting up from her chair. "I'm gonna go back and get some more food for the others. Oh, and you should keep in mind that if you think your Pokemon might eat several plates full, then you might want to consider giving them a pokeblock that fills them up more. They offer those to trainers with Snorlaxes and Hippowdons," Jen informed the trainer as she headed toward the Pokemon buffet table again. After being on the line and getting food for a few minutes, she came back with two plates and placed one on the table and the other on the floor with Ecco's Pokemon. Then the trainer released Nidoking and Vaporeon so that they can eat as well. "Which two are you feeding next?" Jen asked as she sat back down and watched Growlithe play with the remainder of his food.

"That sounds perfect." Ecco answered, sighing with relief as Jen spoke of the pokeblocks. It wasn't long before he and his pokemon had finished their portions as well. He waited until Jen had come back from refilling her trays before standing up himself. "Last up are Mach and Wing." He stated, allowing Flare and Shadow to finish their meals before returning them once more. Making his way toward the buffet, Ecco filled a tray with a type of seed meant for a variety of bird pokemon, making sure to ask an attendant for a couple of the pokeblocks Jen had mentioned before heading back. Upon reaching the table, he released Mach and positioned the tray of seed in front of him. Taking the two blocks off of the tray, he nodded. "Eat up!" He told his pokemon with a smile. Wing waited patiently, letting out a small grumble as he eyed the pokeblocks in Ecco's hand. Noticing this, Ecco tossed one of the blocks towards the large dragon type. With a swift motion, his pokemon had caught the small block and was now chewing it with contentment. "That takes care of everyone on my end." Ecco stated, rolling the last pokeblock around in his palm. "I grabbed this for Dragonite." He added, tossing it to Jen softly. "Even if you've already taken care of him, it doesn't hurt to have one on hand, hm?" He shrugged.

"Actually, yeah, you saved me a trick, thank you," Jen responded, smiling as she did before getting up again for more Pokemon food. "Make sure that Growlithe doesn't run off for me? He likes to run around after eating, he burns it off so quick," She asked, glancing over at the pup that was now chasing his tail. "Vaporeon, help him out, too. I don't want Growlithe to get into any trouble, he might start chasing a Persian if he finds one," Jen sighed as she left the group to get a plate of Pokemon food for Dragonite and hid the Pokeblock amongst meal before rejoining the group. Upon coming back, Growlithe was on his back, swatting at Vaporeon's tail every so often. "I'm glad that he behaved, at the very least," Jen sighed withe relief and returned Nidoking once his meal was finished to release Dragonite for his meal. "Eat up, Dragonite, you deserve it," Jen smiled as the dragon type cried happily upon seeing the food and dug in. "I was thinking that once Dragonite was finished that we could each grab a box and head back to the rooms? I'm kinda tired of this noise, to be honest," Jen mentioned, rubbing her temples as she did.

Ecco nodded, agreeing to keep the eager pup at bay while she made a final run to the buffet. "Go ahead, I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble." He smirked, signaling Growlithe with a snap and a wave. With Vaporeon's help, Growlithe was kept distracted long enough for Jen to return. "No trouble at all." He replied, lowering a hand once more to silently call the pup over. Scratching behind the fire type's ear, a low groan of happiness could be heard coming from the pokemon. Meanwhile, Jen released Dragonite and presented him with his meal. Ecco watched with a smile as Jen bonded with her longtime companion; his expression quickly changing upon hearing of her discomfort."I know how you feel." Ecco sympathized, clutching his head with one hand and returning Wing with the other. Not long after this, Mach finished the large pile of seed on his tray and had begun preening his feathers. Taking this as a sign that it was time to head out, Ecco returned his pokemon and reached in his pocket "Ready when you guys are." He confirmed, playing idly with her room key.

"Yeah, it'd just be more comfortable there and easier to talk..." Jen replied, watching Dragonite continue to scarf down his plate. Moments later, Dragonite had finished with a happy "Arooo" and flapped his wings a little bit. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Dragonite, we're going to the spa later, so I'll let you out when we get there," Jen told the dragon, before returning him to his Pokeball. "Okay, let's get going," Jen said, motioning Growlithe over to pet him and play around with his fur for a moment before getting up. "Behave and don't run off, okay?" Jen instructed, only for the pup to bark happily and wag his fluffy tail.

"Not too many places to run off to between here and the rooms." Ecco teased, smirking playfully at the fire type as they made for the exit on the other side of the room. Upon leaving through the double doors, the loud chatter could be heard fading as the doors closed behind them. Letting out a sigh of relief, Ecco lead the way to the trainer's quarters. Many doors lined the walls in the area, each boasting a sign with a different number on it. Taking a moment to check Jen's key and match it to a door, Ecco stopped in front of the corresponding room. He turned around and held her key out to her, "Here we are." He said, stepping aside.

(Tifa's Theme - Advent Children watch?v=x20TtbnUJ3E&amp;list=PLp9Kyj4FCYqJhNRi2fV7Am52_RAt73jdH&amp;index=8)

Jen shifted the box from her right hand to her left, opening the room soon after. "Hey, Growlithe's ran away from me several times before! Not to mention, that since he's a different kind of Growlithe, I get worried about someone taking him," Jen replied as she held the door open for Ecco and was happy to see Growlithe trot into the bed room with her. The bed room looked near identical to the room in Goldenrod, except the bed was folded to be a couch. Once Ecco and Zapcannon walked into the room, Jen closed the door and took a seat at the head of the bed. "So, I've been thinking that next week I'll challenge the gym here in Cianwood, would that be fine? If we are traveling again, of course, which I'm totally fine with," Jen said after taking a few bites of her meal. "Relaxing here for a few days and then training would be for the best, and it'd be great if I could battle you for practice?" Jen continued on, becoming more timid and quiet as she spoke.

"He sounds like a handful." Ecco replied as he entered the room. "And I'm not sure he'd be taken without a fight. After all, he's got that fire-type spirit." He continued as he took a seat not too far from Jen, placing his boxed up meal on the night table next to the futon. Upon hearing that the two would be traveling together again, Ecco couldn't help but smile. "It's been a while… I would love to travel with you again, Jen." He said softly, turning himself to face her. "As for the battle, I'd be happy to help." Meanwhile, Zapcannon made himself comfortable on the floor, his ears twitching upon hearing the plans of the trainers.

Jen nodded at Ecco's comment, too busy chewing to answer right away. "He was a handful when I first got him, Growlithe's really friendly. That's why I worry that someone might take him and he might not even fight back on it," Jen pointed out, sighing at the thought. Meanwhile, Growlithe was looking over at the resting Zapcannon. The fire type had his tail wagging to and fro quickly until he diverted his attention to his trainer and jumped onto the bed between the trainers. Once he jumped up, Jen smiled more and pet the fire type's head before looking at Ecco. "As for traveling, thank you! It really means a lot to me and my Pokemon, playing with other Pokemon really helps with the training. Plus, it's nice to be traveling with an old friend again," Jen beamed before continuing her meal.

Ecco leaned back, relaxing while he heard Jen speak about Growlithe's friendly nature. "I can't argue with you there…" He admitted, watching as the playful pup jumped up between them for attention. With Jen beginning to stroke Growlithe's head, the pokemon's tail continued to wag happily. For a moment, Ecco had begun to bat at the fluffy tail with one finger, stopping and lifting his head when Jen continued to speak. With their gazes meeting simultaneously, he listened as Jen expressed her gratitude. "You don't need to thank me, Jen." He replied, shaking his head. "Have you been traveling alone all this time?" He asked, a touch of anxiety apparent in his voice.

To Ecco's question, Jen nodded while she played around with her food for a little bit. "Yeah, we've been traveling alone for some time. I mean, I did travel with Ceres back when we all met up for the second, time but that didn't work out well," Jen sighed as she peeled a piece of meat from her dinner. Then the trainer gave a small gesture and the fire type, waiting anxiously for the small piece of food, sat down as still as he could be. With that, Jen gave the small piece to Growlithe and the pup's tail went back into action. "Good boy," Jen smiled, nuzzling the pup for a moment so that he could lick her face. "What about you, Ecco? Have you been traveling alone, too?" She asked, lifting her head from the happy fire type.

Ecco turned away shortly after being asked the question. "I've had the company of the Rockets, if that counts." He scoffed sarcastically, his eyes lowering. "I haven't really been doing much 'traveling' either, other than coming to Johto." As Ecco spoke, Zapcannon eyed his trainer carefully and begun moving closer to the trio. Ecco looked down at his pokemon, his expression remaining slightly somber. Taking a deep breath, Ecco collected himself and returned to his relaxed position. "That reminds me… I wanted to apologize for leaving so suddenly back in Sinnoh." He continued, looking at Jen once more.

Jen continued to look at Ecco, feeling terrible for bringing the subject up. "Sorry, Ecco... but, yeah, that's definitely fine," Jen mumbled, feeling more timid as she spoke and slowly losing her appetite in the process. "Why did you leave, if you don't mind me asking?" Jen asked, feeling a haunting suspicion of why the trainer left, but her curiosity on the subject had piqued. After all, she could have really used his help back when he turned on her for the second time and was forced to save Sinnoh once more. Meanwhile, Growlithe's playfulness had become contained as he noticed the change in the air. As a result, the fire type sat back down and anxiously looked between the trainers, pawing at Jen every once in a while to cheer her up and give her a happier air, only to fail each time.

Ecco tore his gaze away once more, staring across the room blankly. "I did say I'd answer anything you had to ask, didn't I?" He replied distantly, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. An awkward silence filled the room, adding to the sense of sorrow that was already present. Zapcannon's ears lowered as he too began to eye each trainer. "Do you remember that day in the Center…?" Ecco began, finally breaking the silence. "It was the day we all met up again… And a day I wish I could forget ever happened." He continued, smiling to himself with a delirious chuckle.

Before Ecco replied in his small moment of silence, the trainer closed her box and placed it on the floor. Then, she looked away as he mentioned that day, closing her eyes and leaning back on the mattress. After a while of the events replaying in her mind, she nodded solemnly in response, not noticing that Ecco wasn't even looking at her. "Was it because of him?" Jen asked after a while, feeling her eyes tear up as she asked.

A small hum came from Ecco as if to answer Jen's question, "It really was that painfully obvious wasn't it?" He replied, trying to maintain the fake smile as long as he could. "For a while, I had myself convinced that it was all just a nightmare. I told myself I would wake up and everything would go back to normal." He continued, shaking his head and standing up. Pacing around the room for a short time, he eventually stopped and leaned against one of the room's walls.

Jen watched him pace the room a few times, before looking away as he leaned against the wall. The room was silent, even the Pokemon were, despite the fire type's hyperactivity just moments before. "Then why did we all stick together as a group for so long? What made you want to leave specifically?" Jen asked quietly, staring down at the floor absently. More importantly; why did you leave me alone with him?

"I originally planned to leave the morning after." Ecco answered, finally looking back at Jen. "Then you asked to come with me to Snowpoint. Dream or not, I just wanted you to be happy." He added, his eyes never leaving her. Standing between the two trainers, Zapcannon wagged his tail slowly and listened to each one talk respectively. A short time passed after his last sentence, and Ecco pushed off the wall and began pacing once more. "I tried to forget about what happened, tried to push the memory into some dark corner of my mind… But each day I saw him it found its way back, bringing the pain back with it." He sighed, crossing his arms and looking towards the ceiling.

Jen looked on at the trainer perplexed, wondering if she should bother with her questions anymore. "Ecco... what did Ceres do to you?" Jen inquired, her stomach knotting up as she asked the question.

Remaining silent for a moment, Ecco continued to gaze upward. "He succeeded in doing exactly what he said. He stole away someone who was very dear to me." He replied, masking his emotions with rigidness. "…And there was nothing I could do to stop him."

Jen remained silent as well, finally getting the dropped hint and a chill ran up her spine. "So, you expected to keep someone by leaving, twice? Even then, why didn't you say something? Can you expect me to read your mind?" Jen replied, her voice keeping a calm air as she eyed the trainer. Meanwhile, Growlithe moved over to lay down on his trainer's lap, still trying the best that he could to be of some sort of comfort to Jen.

Ecco turned to her with a glare, her words cutting deep. "I never planned on things going the way they did." He answered sternly. Taking a moment to calm down, he walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down. "As for never telling you… I really wanted to." He continued, pausing to take a deep breath. "The closer I came to saying it, the more I would realize that it would have just been selfish of me to make you choose." He added, staring at the floor.

Jen remained silent for some time again, trying her very best to fight back the tears that threatened her composure. "Telling me would have given me a choice, at least," Jen finally replied, sighing shakily at the end before continuing on. "Maybe it would be best to talk tomorrow, I shouldn't have touched upon the subject..."

Ecco fixed his attention on Jen, noticing that she was struggling to remain collected. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and positioned himself him front of her. "I'm sorry about all of this Jen." He apologized, gazing down at her as she sat. "As I said, I only want you to be happy." He added, running his thumb lightly below her eyes in an effort to wipe away any sign of tears. After giving her a small smile, he turned to leave.

Before Ecco could take a step toward the door, Jen grabbed his forearm to prevent the trainer from leaving. The trainer was looking down at the futon, her hair overshadowing her face. Due to the swift movement, Growlithe hopped off to lay down next to Zapcannon, not wanting to be in the way of what was going on. After a moment of sitting silently, tears were seen rolling down the trainer's face and her body would tremble whenever she tried to speak. "If you want me to be happy," Jen began, choking from both crying and talking. She pulled her hand away, trying to wipe away the tears on her face, refusing to look up at Ecco. "Then you need to stop leaving me..."

Turning around as Jen pulled her arm back, Ecco watched as Jen continued to cry. His eyes slowly opened wider, finding himself to be shaking too. Without thinking, he found himself pulling her to her feet before wrapping his arms around her. "I'm so sorry…" He said softly, pulling her head to his chest. "I'm not going anywhere this time…" He promised as he rested his head on hers, his shirt beginning to dampen from her tears.

Once in his arms, she completely broke down, unable to hold back her noisy sobs. "It was terrible, I hated it, but I had to save them, I had to endure it all for them," Jen cried, wrapping her arms around Ecco's chest. Her body still shaking thinking back on events, about the guy that betrayed her twice. She felt so stupid, and more so for crying about it when it's been said and done for more than a year now. "I'm sorry," Jen whispered, taking one of her hands away to wipe the tears off of her face.

Piecing together what it was Jen was talking about, Ecco placed a hand on the top of her head, close to his cheek. "You did the right thing, Jen…" He assured her, his thoughts turning once more to that same guy. His brow lowered, a deep rage filling his very being as he held the sobbing Jen. How could he do this to her…? But it's not like I'm much better… He thought to himself, dropping one of his arms to his side as she wiped her eyes. "Don't be sorry." He ordered softly, lifting her chin with his thumb and forefinger. Brushing her bangs aside, he gazed down at her for a moment before smiling a bit.

"But, I am sorry," Jen replied without skipping a beat. "Especially right now," Jen continued, laughing a little when she looked at how wet his t-shirt was now from her tears. Then she became quiet while she looked up at Ecco, looking into his eyes for a moment before shying away from them. Direct eye contact was never her strong suit, despite what she was capable of. "I'm still sorry, I didn't mean for you to leave..." Jen trailed off, thinking back on the journeys now, but at least her tears were beginning to slow down.

Ecco looked down at his shirt, laughing with Jen for a moment before their eyes met. "I know you didn't, Jen. I don't blame you for anything." He told her, relieved that she was calming down. Patting her shoulder, he pushed away gently before searching his bag for a grey T shirt not too different from the one he looked at back at the outlet. "I should probably change out of this." He chuckled, tugging at the damp spot on his shirt as he slung the new shirt over his shoulder.

When Ecco moved to grab a new t-shirt, Jen sat back down. "Yeah, go get changed," Jen sniffled, wiping away more of her tears from her sobbing. Before she could finish talking, Growlithe jumped up onto the bed and tackled his trainer. Then Growlithe began to stand on his hind legs and licked Jen's face, wagging his tail rapidly as he did. Jen giggled from the licks tickling her

Smiling as Jen was consoled by her pokemon, Ecco turned to leave the room. "Keep an eye on her, okay Growlithe?" He asked, walking out the door. Seeing that there was a spot on the futon, Zapcannon couldn't resist hopping up to join Jen and Growlithe. Moments later, Ecco returned wearing the new T-shirt. Closing the door behind him, he shook his head playfully upon seeing that the spot he had sat in previously was now occupied. He walked over, placing the old shirt in his bag before having a seat on the floor in front of the group.

Once Zapcannon came over, Jen would also pet the electric type, too. More so when Growlithe began to calm down from seeing his trainer happy once more. "Did you still want to go to the spa or would it be better to just go tomorrow?" Jen asked Ecco upon his return, scratching Zapcannon behind the ear as she did.

As Jen scratched behind his ear, Zapcannon's cheeks began to let out small sparks. Finding it impossible to contain himself any longer, he rolled onto his side as his foot began kicking rhythmically. Watching as Jen switched between the two pokemon, Ecco smiled softly. "It's up to you really. It can wait if you're not feeling up to it." He replied, switching his positioning in an effort to get comfortable.

Jen continued to pet both of the Pokemon for a bit, thinking about whether they should or not due to how late it was. "Tomorrow may be best," Jen nodded to herself. "I mean, we have to pay to get in and it'd just be nicer to spend the whole day relaxing instead of just a little bit, you know?" Jen continued, feeling bad that the group was no longer going anymore.

Ecco nodded, "Then tomorrow it is." He answered, realizing that she had a point. "It really would be a waste to go this late." He agreed, suddenly clutching his stomach. Giving Jen a questioning look, he cocked his head and pointed to the box of food he had set on the table earlier.


End file.
